.?^ 



UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION 

BULLETIN. 1914. NO. 25 WHOLE NUMBER 599 



IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL- 
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 

COMPILED FROM SPECIAL REPORTS OF RURAL 

SUPERINTENDENTS TO THE BUREAU 

OF EDUCATION 



By W. T. HODGES 

DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 
ALEXANDRIA COUNTY. VA. 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFHCE 

1914 



UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION 

BULLETIN. 1914. NO. 25 WHOLE NUMBER 599 



IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL- 
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 

COMPILED FROM SPECIAL REPORTS OF RURAL 

SUPERINTENDENTS TO THE BUREAU 

OF EDUCATION 



By W. T. HODGES 

DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 
ALEXANDRIA COUNTY. VA. 




WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 



I9I4 



tr> 



fl 






ADDITIONAL COPIES 

OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED PROM 

THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON, T). C. 

AT 

10 CENTS PER COPY 



O; OF D. 
NOV 2 ?914 



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CONTENTS 



Pago. 

Letter of transmittal 5 

Introduction 7 

Administration and supervision 8 

Instruction 18 

Improving the teachers in service 29 

Improvement of buildings, grounds, equipment, etc 37 

Socializing the school 40 

Miscellaneous notes 53 

3 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Education, 
Washington, October 8, 1913. 

Sir: Here and there in all of the States are to bo found county, 
townsliif), and district superintendents of schools who have hit upon 
some plan of improving the schools under their supervision by means 
of better administration, improved courses of study, and better meth- 
ods of teaching, better buildings and grounds, a closer cooperation 
of home and school, or otherwise. For lack of means of publication, 
however, the good plans of a county in one State remain unknown 
to school officials and teachers in other States, and frequently 
to those of other counties in the same State. To discover and make 
known these plans, the methods of their application and their results, 
to all rura,l-school officers in all the States is one of the means by 
which this bureau can render valuable service to the cause of rural 
education. 

The manuscript transmitted herewith is made up largely of extracts 
from and summaries of letters received recently from rural-school 
officers in response to my request that they write m.e in full detail an 
accurate report of any work out of the regular routine done in their 
schools within the last year or two which they thought to be of suf- 
ficient value to make it desirable that it should be made known to 
.others. 

I recommend that the manuscript be published as a bulletin of the 
Bureau of Education for distribution to State, county, township, and 
district superintendents, county and district school boards, and 
county associations of teachers. 

Kespcctfully submitted. 



P. P. Claxton, 

Commissioner. 



To the Secretary of the Interior. 



IMPORTANT FEATURES IN RURAL-SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

Compiled from special reports of rural superintendents to the Bureau of 

Education* 



INTRODUCTION. 

Toward the close of the school year 1912-13 the United States 
Commissioner of Education sent a letter to all school superintendents 
who have rural schools under their supervision, asking them to re})ort 
to the Bureau of Education anything of unusual or special value that 
had been done in the schools during the past year or two. These 
superintendents were asked also to report any special methods which 
they had found successful in improving the efficiency of their rural 
schools. 

These letters were sent to the county superintendents, to the union 
district superintendents in New England, the township superintend- 
ents in Ohio, and the district superintendents in New York. Approx- 
imately 3,500 letters were sent out, nearly one-haK of which were 
answered. Many of the letters briefly enumerated a number of 
occurrences of local interest, such as an increase in the length of the 
school term, a bond issue for a new school building, or the introduc- 
tion of a printed course of study. Others gave fairly complete 
accounts of one or two things of general value to those interested in 
rural education. From the great number of answers received there 
have been collected for publication in this bulletin such selections as 
seem to contain suggestions of special value to other superintendents. 
Many letters contain a statement of plans which are just being put 
into operation or which will be put into operation during the coming 
year. These are not included. 

The reports are grouped broadly under the following topics : Admin- 
istration and supervision; instruction; improvement of grounds and 
buildings; socializing the schools; and miscellaneous. Several letters 
containing reports on more than one subject are included in full. 

A study of the letters from which these abstracts are taken reveals 
improvement everywhere in the schools for country children. There 
is a feeling that the country child will be best educated for whatever 
life he may lead, whether in the city or in the country, if taught in 



8 FEATUKES IN RUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. 

terms of country life. The movement for the closer and more effective 
cooperation of school and home is nation-wide. Parent- teacher organ- 
izations are common in all States. Country schoolliouses are used to 
some extent as civic and social centers in all States in the Union. 
Practical subjects, such as agriculture, cooking, sewing, manual 
training, etc., add vitality and interest to the courses of study. 
Contests and club activities are coming into general use as a means 
of encouraging children to do their best work. 

No special feature of the improved rural-school work is confined to 
any one State or section. Reports from various superintendents 
show the Babcock milk tester to be used in schools of Wisconsin, 
Vermont, South Carolina, California, and many other States. Boys' 
and girls' agricultural clubs are found in almost every State in the 
Union. School fairs, as separate institutions or as departments in 
the agricultural fairs, are general throughout the country. Oregon 
and Missouri report plans extensively used of giving credit at school 
for industrial work done at home; reports of similar work come from 
superintendents in probably one-half the States in the Union. The 
''home-project" method of teaching agriculture used in Massachu- 
setts is also used in Louisiana, Wisconsin, and other vStates. 

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 

Berks County, Pa. E. M. Ra2)p, superintendent, Reading. — The 
slogans of our county have been for years "Stay on the farm," and 
"The country school of to-day for the country life of to-morrow." 
The result in the schools has been farm arithmetic, farm geography, 
elementary textbooks in agriculture, and a demand for the em-ich- 
ment of the course of study for country children, that country chil- 
dren be taught in terms of their own lives. Realizing that whatever 
it is on paper, the course of study is largely the teacher, and that 
enrichment of the course must come principally through enrichment 
of the teacher, we have labored most for better-trained teachers in our 
schools. 

Of the 550 teachers in Berks, 95 per cent have had some training 
in State normal schools, while as many as 350 are graduates. Of the 
remaining 200 teachers, 140 are holders of State and county perma- 
nent certificates, 25 are college graduates, and a score are holders of 
the provisional grade — the lowest grade certificate. For the last two 
yoars applicants for tliis lowest grade certificate were supposed to 
have at least four years of high-school training, supplemented by a 
year's professional training at a State normal school. Three hundred 
of the teachers are men, and 90 per cent of all the teachers, both men 
and women, are country bred. The average salary is $52.50 a 
month, almost double that of 15 years ago. 



ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 9 

The following movements have also been very potent factors in 
redii'ecting education in the county: 

1. Our boys' and girls' clubs for home industrial work, with 1,500 
members, organized seven years ago, greatly vitalize all school work 
and afford opportunities for correlating drawing, language, arithmetic, 
composition work, and geography with concrete industrial work. 

2. Our country teachers ' association, in which all of the 350 teachers 
of one-room schools in the county are enrolled, meets once a year at 
Reading to discuss rural school problems and to listen to good speeches 
on the country-life movement. 

3. A country-life bookshelf of 50 volumes has been estabhshed in 
the office of the county superintendent and opened free to every 
teacher and farmer in the county. These books are influencmg the 
institutional life of the open country for a better rural civilization. 
A complete catalogue of the books is printed and forwarded to anyone 
desirmg the same. The following are a few representative titles: 
The Country Life Movement, L. H. Bailey; The Rural Life Problem 
of the United States, Horace Plunkett; Rural Wealth and Welfare, 
George T. Fairchild; The American Rural School, Harold W. Foght; 
Farm Boys and Girls, William A. McKeever; Frecldes, Gene Stratton 
Porter; The Satisfaction of Country Life, James Robertson. 

4. Copies of the United States soil survey report and map of Berks 
County have been placed in each school. Teachers are requu'ed to 
teach the salient features of the report in connection with local 
geography in the eighth gi^ade, examination in that grade being based 
largely on the report. 

5. In May of each year an annual field day or play picnic for country 
school children is held on the grounds of the Kutztown Normal School. 
Singing contests, well-directed games, track and field events, and 
contests in oratory and in declamations make the day one of great 
pleasure to the children and their parents. Since the inauguration 
of this movement, the play activities of almost every rural school 
have been stimulated, the repertoire of games of the children has 
considci'ably increased, and playground apparatus has been installed 
in many school plats and farm homes. 

6. The plan of standardizing one-room schools was inaugurated 
several years ago, and has proveci most effective in placing our rural 
schools on a higher plane. The first year four schools received 
diplomas. The second year the number increased to 41, and the 
third year 150 measured up to the standard and became "accredited." 
Nearly every one of the 350 schools made an efl'ort to qualify in some 
of the specified conditions in order eventually to reach the desned 
goal. Several applications were refused on account of inefficient 
teaching. 

54998°— 14 2 



10 FEATURES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

7. The civic league of Reading lias established travehng art ex- 
hibits for one-room country schools, modeled and planned somewhat 
after the Turner free traveling art exhibit. Each exhibit contains a 
dozen carefully selected pictures, mounted on cardboard, peculiarly 
adapted to one-room schools, and accompanied by books and leaflets 
on picture studies for the teacher. The child thus becomes familiar 
with a dozen good pictures a year. Smce the inauguration of this 
movement, there are no longer found on the walls of our schoolrooms 
advertising cards, chromos, faded prints of authors, and tissue-paper 
flowers. 

8. A monthly bulletin, which is a clearing house of information on 
all school activities within the county, is published and sent free to 
every teacher, director, and interested patron in the county. 

9. Through the organization of school and home associations the 
schools of the county are rapidly becoming social centers. 

Walla Walla County, Wasli. Mrs. JosepMne C. Preston, formerly 
county superintendent, now State superintendent of public instruc- 
tion. — In 1909 Walla Walla County was divided into 10 groups or 
districts. The number was afterwards increased to 12. The divi- 
sions were not arbitrary, but were changed from time to time, when- 
ever it was thought that a change would better accommodate people 
Hving near a selected center. They were arranged as nearly as possi- 
ble with one of the larger schools near the center of each. 

By means of a series of contests m spelling and declamations a 
community center movement at these central schools was begun. A 
general meeting of all the patrons and of those interested in schools 
was called at the most convenient gathermg point of the division. 
In some of the centers it was found necessary to use a neighboring 
church building on account of the larger audience room aft'orded. 
Later contests in sewing and in domestic science for the girls and in 
manual training for the boys were added. In addition to these 
features, well-organized lecture courses were provided for the centers. 

The principal of the graded school chosen as a center had charge 
of the contests in the division, formulating plans under the direction 
of the county superintendent and arranging for the meetings and 
exliibits. The teachers in the surrounding districts in the division 
followed the direction and advice of this central school principal, with 
the result that this principal became in eflfect, a supervising teacher 
for the entire division. 

From Walla Walla County this community center movement has 
spread rapidly to other counties of the State, until now there are at 
least 200. 

These community gatherings are consoUdating community interests 
to such an extent that community spirit will demand the consolida- 
tion of the local schools for both social and economic reasons. In 



ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 11 

each division there is developing a good rural Jiigli school, which has 
the interest and support, so vital to the success of any rural high 
school, of the teachers and patrons of the small surrounding schools. 
A further advantage is that the rural schools of the division are 
provided with some degree of supervision, at practically no expense 
beyond the salary paid to the principal of the central school. This 
whole movement can not fail to make community Hfo more wortli 
while and to build up schools in terms of rural life with all the advan- 
tages of an urban community. 

Box Elder County, Utah. D. C. Jensen, superintendent, Brigham 
City. — We have but one large town in the county, Brigham City 
(population about 4,000), so that our 35 schools outside of Brigham 
City can properly be classed as village and rural schools. The county 
was consolidated into one district in 1907 and is now under the direc- 
tion of a county board of education of five members, elected from the 
five divisions of the consoHdated district. 

1. The supervising force of Box Elder County consists of the 
county superintendent, a primary supervisor, and supervisors of 
music, art, and sewing, and nature study and agriculture. These 
people spend all of their time during the school ye^r in supervision. 
The superintendent is engaged for the entire year. So also is the 
supervisor of nature study and agriculture, who spends his summer 
months in the field with the various agricultural clubs. 

2. The following clubs have been organized: Potato clubs, tomato 
clubs, beet clubs, and general agricultural associations, including 
poultry, dairying, home gardening, etc. These are all under the 
direction of the supervisor of nature study and agriculture, who is 
kept in touch with the work through personal visits and frequent 
correspondence during the entire year. Cash prizes aggregating $550 
are offered this season as an incentive for large numbers to enter upon 
this work in a scientific competition for superiority as practical farm- 
ers. These prizes are offered by the various factories interested in 
the crops grown by the clubs. 

3. In place of agriculture for girls in the seventh and eighth grades, 
we have been giving sewing in some schools. This has proved so 
satisfactory that we shall give it in all schools next year. The work 
is under the direction of the art and sewing supervisor. While the 
girls were interested in agriculture, they are naturally more interested 
in the domestic arts work. 

4. The past season was the fii'st year we have had supervision in 
art separate and apart from the primary supervision in general. 
The results have been excellent. 

5. In the assignment of teachers we have kept in mind having 
at least one teacher in each building who can teach music. 



12 FEATURES IN EUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

6. Through the mcreased efficiency of school work, due largely to 
better supervision, we have reached the point when we feel it safe 
to eliminate the beginners' grade. We have maintained nine grades 
heretofore ; hereafter we will complete the grade work in eight years 
of eight months each, at a savmg of one year in each child's life and 
an annual saving of $10,000 to the county. 

7. During the past year we introduced the plan of giving school 
credit for home work, with most gratifying results. Never in the 
history of our schools has there been such close union and such 
perfect cooperation of effort between home and school as this move- 
ment has called forth. 

8. During the past school year the district erected 11 new school 
buildings, at a total cost of $205,000, amounting to $44.50 per capita 
of school population. Twenty van drivers were engaged, eliminating 
about that number of small mixed schools, at a saving of many 
thousands of dollars and at a gam of efficiency in graded work the 
value of which can not be estimated. 

9. Our high-school work is concentrated in one large school in 
Brigham City. Transportation at a maximum of $2 per week is 
allowed students from outside of Brigham, thus equalizing the cost 
of high-school education throughout the county and at the same 
time securing the maximum of efficiency through having our efforts 
confined to one institution. 

Lafayette Parish, La. L. J. Alleman, superintendent, Lafayette. — 
Beginning with the year of 1909, the school board of Lafayette 
Parish has furnished an automobile to the parish superintendent for 
visiting schools. He is thereby enabled to visit many more schools 
and very much oftener than was possible with horse and buggy. 

An appropriation has been made for the purpose of a stereopticon. 
This is to be used principally in a campaign for consolidation of rural 
schools, but it will also be loaned to different schools for illustrated 
lectures. 

In order to encourage further consolidation of schools the pansh 
board has adopted regulations providing that one-room schools shall 
not be permitted in the future to teach beyond the fourth grade, and 
tv»^o-room schools the seventh grade. As we have strong consolidated 
town schools within reach of nearly every child in the parish, it will 
be possible for the chikken fi'om one and two room schools to do ad- 
vanced work in one of these central schools. A minimum monthly 
attendance of 25 children for a one-room school and of 50 for a two- 
room school has been fixed by the board. In case any school is closed 
on account of lack of attendance, transportation to the nearest cen- 
tral school is to be provided. 

Salary schedules have been adopted as foUows: Graduates from 
the State normal school, $55 per 20 school days, with annual in- 



ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 13 

crease of $15 for a period of 10 years; graduates of our two indus- 
trial institutes, which maintain a short teachers' course, $50 per 
month, with the same increase as stated above; holders of fu'st- 
grade certificates, obtained by State examinations, $45 per month 
with the same annual increase; second-grade teachers, $40 per month 
with the same increase; thh*d-grade teachers, $85, no increase. 

Consolidated schools are within 5 miles of any section of the par- 
ish; between these we have one and two room country schools. 
The town schools open in September and close in June, while the 
country schools open in November and close in August, so that it is 
possible for our children to attend school tlie year round. 

FranJdin County, Ky. E. R. Jones, superintendent, Frankfort. — 
Franklm County is divided into 4 educational divisions, each division 
containing approximately 750 pupils, vnih. 9 to 14 subdistrict schools. 
Approximately in the center of each educational division we have 
located a county high school domg two years' work. 

These central schools are open, not only to students of high-school 
grade, but also to seventh and eighth grade pupils of the various sub- 
districts free of tuition. This class has proved highly successful. 
Frequently the board of education, after providing what it consid- 
ered ample stable room for the horses of those who would drive to 
school, has been compelled to double the capacity. As a result of 
the better opportunities offered, and enforcement of the compulsory- 
attendance law, school attendance in the county has increased more 
than 25 per cent. 

The boa.rd of education has made the principals of the central high 
schools also principals of the subdistrict schools within the educa- 
tional division. These principals are required to visit and supervise 
the schools for several weeks prior to the beginning of the high school, 
and also to keep m touch with the school work of the di^asion by hold- 
ing teachers' meetings, etc. 

Although the central high schools have only two-year courses of 
study, the board has a contract with the Frankfort High School 
whereby aU the pupils who complete the two-year course may enter 
this school free of tuition and complete the four-year course of 
study. Many of the country children are availing themselves of this 
opportunity. 

Randoliith District, Union, Vt. H. W. Lewis, superintendent, Ran- 
dolpli. — An office located in the center of Ilandoli)h village was 
opened January 1 as headquarters for affairs pertaining to the 
country schools embraced in three townsliips of the Randolph dis- 
trict union. In this office the rural-school teachers meet at least 
once each term during the school year. Here problems pertaining 
to school management and general discipline are considered. From 



14 FEATURES IN RUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

this office are distributed all hooks and supplies used in the rural 
districts and here are kept on file all records and reports received 
from the teachers of the union; also all State records, examination 
papers, etc., that have to do mth the rural schools. 

A reading circle has been established for teachers of the union. 
Small dues are collected and the proceeds used in the purchase of 
books on pedagogy and other material useful for teachers. This 
office is also used as a meeting place for school directors of the rural 
districts. Here, upon their^own vote, they have agreed to meet at 
least once a term vnth their superintendent for the discussion of all 
problems and questions concerning the welfare of their respective 
schools. 

Martin County, Minn. C. J. Timms, superintendent, Fairmont. — 
One of the greatest helps to the rural schools of this county has been 
the appointment of an assistant superintendent. The woman ap- 
pointed is an expert primary teacher, college trained. She has 
full charge of the primary work in the county, and issues primary 
outhnes each month for the guidance of the teachers. 

The assistant visits each school in the county at least once during 
the year. In this connection it might be of interest to describe our 
method of visiting schools. We use the best automobile livery 
obtainable, and plan to leave the count}^ seat each school morning, 
when the roads are good, at 8 o'clock. The driver leaves one of us 
at the first school to be visited and takes the other to the next. 
He then returns to the first school, and when the visit is concluded 
moves the supervisor to the next school. He then returns to the 
second school and moves that supervisor to another school. In this 
manner we are able to visit about eight schools each worldng day, 
at an average cost of about $1 per school. We are also enabled to 
visit each school several times during the year. 

Johnston County, N. C. L. T. Royall, superintendent, Smltliji.eld . — 
Last summer our board, in conference with the State superintendent 
of public instruction and the State rural school supervisor, decided 
to engage a rural supervisor for Johnston County, whose work would 
be, in part, to aid in the general work of supervision, but chiefly to 
attend to the rural schools. The rural supervisor, Afiss Kelly, came 
in October, and we have doubled our efforts along all lines of work. 
We selected eight schools in the rural districts which we hoped to 
to make into social and educational centers from wliich the work 
might spread into the surrounding communities. Seven of these 
schools are now adding additional rooms or erecting larger buildings. 
At one place two whole districts and a part of another are consolidated, 
and the people are enthusiastic over a new four-room building with 
an auditorium on the second floor that is used for community gather- 



ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 15 

ings of every kind. A Lirgo part of tho money for this building was 
raised by private subscription among the patrons of the school. 

Wallowa County, Oreg. J. C. Conlcy, superintendent, Enterprise. — 
The most important tiling accomplished for the schools of this county 
the past year has been to arrange for more complete and closer super- 
vision of the rural schools by putting in an assistant supervisor. 

Wdbaslh County, Ind.. Rohert K. DevricJcs, superintendent, Wahasli. — 
Our plan of supervision provides for township principals in each 
township of the county. These principals act as assistants to the 
county superintendent and are required to teach only about half 
their time, the other half being given to the supervision of the 
graded schools in which they teach and of the surrounding country 
schools. Rural teachers are visited frequently, and their work is 
supervised almost as closely as in graded schools. We have been 
doing tliis for several years, and the results are very gratifying. 

Harrison County, Miss. J. J. Dawsey, superintendent, Gulfport. — 
We have had a rural-school supervisor for the first time in the his- 
tory of the State this past session. This supervisor is paid from 
private funds raised in the county, supplemented by funds from the 
Southern Education Board. We are working to get a law for three 
to five supervisors in each county in the State paid from public funds. 

Washington County, Tenn. E. S. Bepew, superintendent, Jones- 
horo. — A supervisor of rural elementary schools has recently been 
employed. His duties are to visit the schools and confer \\^th the 
teachers as to organization, classification, and administration of 
schools, and to organize library, improvement, and industrial clubs. 

WoodstocJc Toionsliip), Vt. Linwood Taft, superintendent, Woodstoclc. — • 
The employment of specialists in drawing and music who visit the 
rural schools every week or two and give lessons in their subjects, as 
well as instruct the teachers in the work to be done between visits 
of the special teacher, has infused more spirit and enthusiasm into 
all the work of those schools than any other one thing. 

Cumberland and GoocMand Counties, Va. C. W. DicJdnson, jr., 
superintendent, Cartersville . — The best tiling that has been done in my 
division during the past year was the introduction of a system of 
industrial education for negroes by means of a special negro super- 
visor for each county. The supervisor works 12 montlis in the year 
to improve, through the school, the social and financial condition of 
negroes. This movement is producing better clothed and better fed 
negro pupils at school, better health conditions at home, and larger 
revenue from negroes for the counties and for the State. 

Harrison County, W. Va. A. P. Mornson, superintendent, ClarJcs- 
hurg. — In the county last year we had three district supervisoi's, and 
hope to have four or five this coming year. We find that district 



16 FEATUKES IN EUKAL SCHQOL IMPROVEMENT. 

supervision is very helpful in many ways. Better teachers may be 
secured, and should a weak teacher be hired the supervisor is a great 
help to her. Young teachers need the help of a supervisor very often, 
and the superintendent in a county having between 350 and 400 
teachers can not do much actual supervision. 

Harris County, Tex. L. L. Pugli, superintendent, Houston. — We 
have estabhshed the office of primary supervisor in the rural schools. 
She has supervision over the primary grades of the county. Her 
duties are to advise with teachers, visit schools, conduct institutes, 
and hold conferences wdth teachers. 

We have also established in several districts where we have from 
500 to 1,500 scholastic population superintendents who have super- 
vision and direction over the schools and teachers in the district. 

Pointe Coupee Parish, La. Charles F. Trudeau, superintendent, New 
Roads. — An expert teacher was employed by the school board to 
give Ms entu'e time to the organization of industrial clubs in all of the 
schools, to give demonstrations in canning fruits and vegetables, and 
to superintend methods employed by the school children and older 
people in planting and cultivating fruit trees and vegetables. This 
work seems to be revolutionizing industrial activities in our country 
Hfe. 

Butler County, Pa. FranJc A. McClung, superintendent. — Among 
the 10,377 school cliildren of our county we have .many enviable 
records of continuous attendance. Certificates were issued each 
month to those pupils who had not been absent or late during the 
month, and at the end of the term a larger certificate was issued to 
those who had gone the full term without missing a day or being tardy. 
There were nearly 500 pupils with this record in the county. Many 
have gone to school five or six terms, and in several instances eight 
terms, with a perfect attendance record. In a few cases the com- 
pulsory attendance law was resorted to. The townships which five 
up to the law most closely and show the best record are those having 
a regularly employed attendance officer, often the constable of the 
township, who takes charge of the work for the board and is paid a 
stated amount for his services. 

Marion County, W. Va. A. L. Thomas, superintendent, Metz. — 
To stimulate better attendance we have been sending to each of our 
schools a monthly report, gradmg them according to their percentage 
of attendance: Grade A, 95 to 100 percent; B, 90 to 95 per cent, etc. 
Both teachers and pupils were interested in these reports and made 
special efforts to keep the record of their schools high. As a means 
of helping to better the attendance, we think it has been worth while. 
Three reports contained the names of aU the teachers in the district, 
where they were teaching, and the number of pupils enrolled. 



ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION. 17 

Lavaca County, Tex. William Filers, superintendent, nalletisville. — 
The rural schools of this county were chissified by a county board of 
trustees composed of five members, with the county superintendent 
as ex officio secretary. They were classified as primary, intermediate, 
and high schools. The State course of study prepared by the State 
department of education was adopted for use in the county. Xo 
teacher is permitted to teach more than the first six grades ; schools 
of seven and eight grades are required to employ two teachers; if the 
attendance is above 100 pupils, they must employ three or more 
teachers. Districts having a large census enrollment and employing 
only one teacher are limited to five grades; children above that grade 
are transferred to another district that has a school v/ith higher 
grades. This classification has caused the trustees of four districts 
to build additions to their schoolliouses and add another teacher. 

Caroline County, Md. E. M. Nolle, superintendent, Denton. — 
School extension work has been organized. The county is divided 
into three sections — northern, central, and southern — each of w^hich 
has an agricultural high school. Lanterns and slides are provided 
for the use of the agricultural and home-economics teachers in these 
various groups, so that they may visit just as many of the rural schools 
as possible, and show views contrasting the best and poorest agri- 
cultural conditions in the country. We find that our people are gen- 
erally more interested in local views than distant ones. Some out- 
side views are shown to broaden the scope of the talk. 

Kane County, III. Edward A. Ellis, superintendent, Geneva. — An 
important movement in our county ha,s been the organization of the 
Kane County school officers' association. This association is open 
to all school officers of Kane County, but the larger per cent of the 
active memxbers have come from the rural and viUage schools. This 
past year, however, a number of the city members of boards of edu- 
cation attended the meeting and took some part in the program. 
This organization has been very helpful in gaining an added interest 
in school matters throughout the county, and particularly in obtain- 
ing improvements in the physical conditions of the school system. 

Plainville Tovjusliip, Conn. Lewis S. Hills, supenntendent. — Dur- 
ing the past year we have selected one school in each to'wn, a school 
centrally located^ and made a ''model school" of it. We made a 
very careful selection of our teacher, paid her somewhat higher wages, 
gave her special supervision, and thus demonstrated w^hat the rural 
school under ordinary conditions could become. We then required 
each of the other teachers in the town to spend a few hours in this 
school, either observing and making notes or observing and later 
taking a class under the direction of the model teacher. 
54998°— 14 3 



18 FEATURES IN RUEAL SCHO9L IMPROVEMENT. 

In this way the teaching in all the schools was improved. The 
town could not afford to give all teachers higher pay, so this method 
was devised to make as great improvement as possible. 

INSTRUCTION. 

York County, Nehr. Alice Florer, superintendent, York. — Special 
efforts have been given to reading. Three years ago the reading con- 
test was organized in York County, and formed the foundation upon 
which our improvement in reading is based. Each year the pupils 
have shown distinct signs of progress, but this year the improvement 
was more notable than ever before. 

Our plan for these contests is as follows: At the beginning of each 
year the teachers understand that there is to be a reading contest 
in the spring, and it is their duty to give special attention to the sub- 
ject in each division. Each teacher is given the list of 15 selections, 
to be taken from the proper reader. While she is supposed to work 
on any selection in the book, as she chooses, the selections for the 
contest will be chosen from these 15. About March 1 the pupils of 
each school enter into a district contest. Tlie fifth and sixth grades 
compete and the seventh and eighth grades compete among their 
own members, respectively. The contestants are graded as follows: 
Posture 10, articulation 25, pronunciation 15, expression 50. 

Each teacher cliooses three judges who are disinterested persons. 
Three or four weeks following the district contest we hold a township 
contest, when the winners from each school district in the township 
meet to contest for the township honors. 

The townsiiip manager, who is appointed by the county superin- 
tendent, secures judges as in the district contest, and the contestants 
are graded on the same points. In the contests the pupil does not 
know in advance what selection he is going to read other than that 
it will be one of the 15 sent out at the beginning of the year. On the 
same date as the township contests in the rural schools the town 
schools hold their contests. 

The winners from the town and township contests are the delegates 
to the county contest, which has been held the past three years m 
connection with the county teachers' mstitute. This year we had 
in all 50 contestants in the tliree divisions — high school, grammar, and 
intermediate. Their reading was so good that it was difficult for the 
judges to make their decisions, and this fact indicates that good 
readers are quite numerous throughout the county. Over 40 counties 
of Nebraska have adopted the ''York County plan," and we feel it is 
benefiting a great many young people. Reading is never slighted 
where the contests are held, for it is regarded as a disgrace to a 
school to have poor readers. 



INSTRUCTION. 19 

This year wc instituted the old-fashioned spelling school, and it has 
worked well. The plan is almost the same as that of the reading 
contest. The difference is this: During the year each school chal- 
lenges all the schools around it to a spelling match. These spelling 
matches are held every week or two. After the schools have been 
studying spelling and engaging in matches for about six months, 
each district has a contest, and the winners are delegates to the town- 
ship contest. Those successful then take part in the county contest 
held later. 

The result is twofold. It institutes a social center in each school 
district, for most of the parents attend every challenge spelling con- 
test, and frequently the schools hold what are called "community 
contests," in which parents, pupils, and all others engage in friendly 
rivahy in spelling. These contests create more real enthusiasm and 
interest among patrons than anything we have had previously. 
Parents frequently tell me they are pleased with the contests, and 
that they are benefiting both pupils and schools. 

For the past five years we have done work in domestic science and 
art, manual training, agriculture, etc. At our last eighth grade 
commencement, June 5, 1913, many of the girls who received diplomas 
had made every article of clothing they wore. Some had hand- 
embroidered dresses, trimmed in hand-made laces, made by them- 
selves, and nowhere could you have found girls more neatly dressed. 

Work is outlined and sent out from this office to each school. It 
includes an article to be made each week in baking or cooking, and 
one garment each month for the girls to be sewed and woodwork for 
the boys. The boys are required to make one article each month 
in order to get the credit ofl'ered, and also to plant an acre of corn or 
one eighth of an acre of potatoes, or both. The ghls are allowed to 
plant and take care of a plat of tomatoes 2 rods square, and many 
of them did so, although it was not necessary for credits. The 
credits were 10 per cent to be added to the lowest passing subject 
in the eighth-grade county examination, if the entire course as out- 
lined was completed. 

McCook Count)/, S. Dak. C. A. Kaech, superintendent, Salem. — ■ 
Because of the fact that spelUng has been so badly neglected in our 
schools we have each year conducted a county spelling contest. The 
first year we encouraged local contests, and asked each school to 
send one contestant to the county contest at the county seat. We 
offered a gold medal for first prize and a silver one for second. This 
contest was a success, but only about 30 pupils came to the county 
contest. The spelUng was from a list of common words, selected 
and sent to the teachers during the year. 

The past year we changed the rules of the contest as follows: 



20 FEATURES IN KUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 



1. The county superintendent is to send out 1,000 words, in lists of 200, to the 
teachers. 

2. Pupils to spell these words on paper, using pen and ink. 

3. Teacher to correct the list and send to the county superintendent. 

4. After the entire list is spelled the grades are averaged, and all obtaining an 
average of 95 per cent or above are granted a diploma and excused from taking the 
final examination in spelling, if a member of the eighth grade; all those making an 
average of from 87^ to 95 per cent are issued a certificate, and if they are members of 
the seventh grade, or some grade below that, they are excused from taking the final 
examination in that subject. 

This contest was very successful last year. Three hundred pupils 
took part and sent in their lists of words ; 239 diplomas and 20 certi- 
ficates were issued. 

Another contest of much interest to us is the annual declamation 
contest for the eighth grade. These pupils prepare declamations or 
orations, not original, and speak them at district contests. The best 
speakers are selected to take part in a general county contest, at 
which medals are offered. To induce pupils to participate in the con- 
test, we permit them to pass the final examination on a lower average 
than would otherwise be required. 

We have our county divided into five districts, corresponding to the 
number of principal towns. The rural and town pupils are required 
to com.pete with each other. As a rule, the rural school pupils carry 
off their share of honors. This year they won a total of 18 points 
out of a possible 40. The people show a great deal of interest in these 
contests, and we are never able to get a hall large enough to accommo- 
date all the crowed. 

Logan County, El. D. F. Nichols, swperintendent, Lincoln. — The 
interest of the pupils in school work is held largely through the exami- 
nations, pupils' reading circle, spelling matches, wiiting contests, 
perfect attendance certificates, and the county commencement. 

Monthly examinations are held in every school. We have a uni- 
form series of textbooks and a county manual in which monthly 
assignments are made. This manual correlates the textbooks and 
the State com'se of study. At the end of the year central and fhial 
examinations are held for the seventh and eighth grades, and what 
is knoAvn as complete examinations for the ninth and tenth grades. 
It may be well to say here that the ninth and tenth year work is 
offered in every rural and village school in Logan County. Pupils 
who complete this course are given two years' credit in all accredited 
high schools. Thus a two-year high-school course is brought to the 
doors of every child in this county. Our fifth annual county com- 
mencement for tenth-grade graduates was held in June, making a 
total of 300 graduates in the past five years. We had over 600 pupils 



INSTRUCTION. 21 

in the final examinations for the four grades named this year. The 
commencement is held in Lincoln, and the attendance exceeds 1,000. 

I beheve the scholarship of the teachers is better than it is in those 
counties not having ninth and tenth grades in the rural schools. With 
us tliG tenth year represents tho minimum qualification with every 
teacher. In order that the daily program may be protected from 
congestion we ehminate the least important studies and alternate 
wherever possible. 

There is keen rivalry on the part of teachers and pupils to get on the 
honor fist in all the county examinations. We publish the names of 
those making the highest 10 averages in each grade, wdth the names of 
their teachers. Instead of interest lagging at the close of the year, 
it is at its highest pitch. The two pupils making the highest and 
second highest averages in the tenth grade give the valedictory and 
salutatory orations in the county commencement exercises. 

CJieroJcee County, Iowa. Miss Kathrine R. Logan, superintendent. — 
In each township of Cherokee County there are special schools for 
farmer boys, held for about four months during the winter. They are 
owned and managed by the township and form a part of the regular 
school system. These schools open late in November, when the fail 
work ends on the farm and close early in March, when spring v*'Ork 
begins. In each school the teacher is a man, goneraUy from the 
Iowa State Agricultural CoUege. When the schools were organized 
the boys were taken into the confidence of teacher and superintendent 
and made to feel that thej were really an important part in the 
administration of the school. They were asked to help decide on the 
course of study of the school, and their contributions were well worth 
while in arranging a program which included arithmetic, algebra, 
agriculture, business correspondence, civil government, commercial 
law, lyceum work, manual training; music, parhamentary driU, pubhc 
speaking, penmanship, and poHtical science. 

These schools are not expensive. The term is short, and inex- 
pensive buildings w^ere erected on the same lots with regular schools. 
Vv^ith a student body made up of boys from 15 to 20 years old, there 
is no problem of transportation. For farmer boys w^ho have finished 
the common schools and who have no time to attend the regular high 
schools these towoiship special schools furnish practical rural-life 
training at the most favorable time of their fives. 

Ayer, Shirley, West Boylston, and Boylston, Mass. F. C. Jolinson, 
superintendent, Ayer. — In Ayer I have had for three years a special 
room to which the brighter children from grade 2 are promoted 
and remain for two years, doing in that time the work of three 
grades. In this same room I put a slow group of children from grades 
4 and 5, as the numbers of our classes demand, and am thus enabled 



22 FEATURES IN" RURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

to get these pupils up with their grade or, if this is impossible, to get 
them thoroughly grounded, so that' they are ready for work in, a 
lower grade. I :Snd that many of this class of pupils need this 
thorough review in one or more fundamentals in which they have 
failed to keep up through handicaps of sickness and absence. 

I find that about one-fifth of the pupils at the end of their s3cond 
year are able to do the work of the next three grades in two years. I 
allow no crowding or overwork. 

Mason County, lU. Fannie Spaits Merwin, superintendent, Ha^ 
vana. — The best thing done for rural schools during this year was the 
adoption of a county course of study based on the uniform county 
texts. A monthly periodical was issued from the superintendent's 
office, giving detailed instruction as to the particular portion of each 
month's study. Review questions numbering from 25 to 75 on each 
branch were sent out twice during the year, a mimeograph copy of 
typed questions going to each seventh and eighth gi'ade pupil in the 
county. Fully 90 per cent of schools, both rural and town, used this 
system. 

Monroe County, N. Y. W. W. Ray field, district superintendent, 
Wehster. — Especial progress has been made along the line of rapid 
mental drill in number work. Contests throughout the grades of 
the different schools have been carried on and a record kept of indi- 
vidual progress. A second-grade pupil during my inspection gave 
the 45 combinations in addition in 35 seconds. This was about two 
months after school opened in the fall. 

Milton TownsMp, OMo. G. S. Clouse, superintendent, Rittman. — 
We have our work outlined in the rural schools just as we do in the 
village. At the beginning of each semester we divide the work into 
as many parts as there are weeks in that period. This is uniform 
over the township. Each teacher reports where he is working at 
the end of each riionth. In this way we keep the teachers all working 
at the same thing at the same time. Many good thmgs have resulted 
from this. 

We have an annual exhibit of school work each spring. This has 
added much interest to the accuracy and general character of the 
school work. . We have an annual spelling contest, at which time 
four pennants are given to the best schools, and these are kept up in 
the schools until the next year. This proves quite a stimulus to 
making good spellers. 

Bartmontli Toivnsliip, Mass. Albert S. Cole, superintendent. North 
Bartmoutli. — During the past two yeare superintendent and teachers 
have been giving considerable attention to conservation of the 
teacher's time in mixed schools of several grades through .a study 
of program making. This has been mainly accomplished through 



INSTRUCTION. " 23 

the reduction of the number of recitations, by the union of classes 
or grades in certain subjects. For example, in geography grade 7 
would ordinarily study South America and Europe and grade 8 Asia, 
Africa, Australia, etc. We find that these two <'lasses are easily put 
together, taking seventh-grade work one year and eighth-grade 
work the next, and so on alternately. The same idea has been 
applied to various other studies. 

From 30 to 35 copies each ol a large selection of 1-eading books 
are kept at the central office. A list of these books is given to 
each teacher, and a class supply of any book is loaned to any school 
upon request, being delivered to her school by the superintendent at 
his next visit. As soon as the books have been read, they are re- 
turned and are ready for some one else to use. By this plan a small 
expenditure of time and money makes available to every rural 
school a large range of readmg matter. 

Uxhridge and Douglas Townships, Mass. Charles M. Pennell, super- 
intendent. — Our greatest effort the past year was given to bringmg 
delinquents up to grade, so that none might fail of promotion. 
Necessarily the teachers did much individual work with the delm- 
quents. Periods were set apart for this work at every session of the 
school. We have found that this work pays. Many of our laggards 
were brought up to grade. Almost without exception such children 
afterwards kept up with their classes. 

Warren Township, Mass. Albert J. Chidester, superintendent, 
Warren. — In no one of my towns are the books in the public libraries 
graded, and in only one is there anything to indicate whether a book 
is intended for juvenile or adult. For the two libraries wholly 
unclassified I have prepared lists of gTaded books. In Warren we 
have a town library of about 12,000 volumes that has been very 
little used by school children. I prepared a list of 450 books suitable 
for the various grades. One-haK of our population is at West 
Warren, 3 miles distant. There is no branch library, so the teachei-s 
undertook to get the books to the pupils. Durmg 5 months the 
circulation of books in that part of the town has been more than any 
other previous 12 months. In Wales the result has been the same. 
Where scarcely 20 people formerly used the library, now, with a 
graded list of books, many children are using it intelligently and are 
acquiring a taste for reading. 

Brown County, S. Dale. M. M. Guhin, superintendent, Aber- 
deen. — The most important work we have undertaken this year has 
been the establishment of the county supplementary reading library. 
We have now about 800 supplementary readers for the grades from 
1 to 6, which we send out to be used by rural and village classes, on 
request of the teacher. There is no charge for the use of the books. 



24 FEATURES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

raid the county pays transportation one way, the teacher or class 
the return transportation. The funds for this library were secured 
by charging a small admission fee at the eighth-grade declamatory 
contests held in several places throughout the county and through 
a donation from the Aberdeen commercial club. We hope to see 
the library grow to about 1,500 books this year. 

Henry County, Ga. 0. 0. Tolleson, superintendent , IIcDonougli. — - 
The board of education of Henry County, Ga., offered an am.ount 
of money up to $25 to duplicate an equal sum raised by any school. 
The whole was to be expended for library purposes upon the follow- 
ing conditions: The committee to select the books and to formulate 
rules governing the use of the hbrary was composed of one member 
selected by the school and one by the board. These two might 
select a third if necessary. Books must be properly housed. Where 
separate library room was not provided, bookcases were purchased 
out of the hbrary fund. The school must give bond to the board of 
education to insure the preservation of the books and the proper 
observance of the hbrary rules. Five to three hundred and fifty 
dollars was raised by each of the various schools, so that now only 
4 out of 32 schools have no hbrary. 

District No. 1, Montgomery County, N. Y. N. Berton Alter, Nel- 
liston. — A "hterary diploma" is issued to each cliild in this super- 
visory district who comphes with the following conditions: (1) Reads 
10 books during the school year (those mentioned by syllabus pre- 
ferred); (2) commits the six poems required for the Enghsh work of 
his grade; (3) vmtes a letter to the district superintendent describ- 
ing his favorite book. 

Wilkes County, N. C. C. C. WriyM, superintendent, Hunting 
Creek. — We have estabhshed 26 supplementary libraries in the 
county this year, v/ith approximately 1,100 volumes of good cloth- 
bound books. We have established no original hbraries, for the 
reason that each district already has one. 

Ionia County, Midi. Harvey H. Lowrey, county commissioner, 
Ionia. — For seven years we have had the county eighth-grade pupils 
come to the county seat for their diplomas, and it has had a whole- 
som-C effect. It is one of the things which has helped to increase 
the interest in completing the rural-school course, so that this year 
more than one-half of the membership of the 11 high schools in this 
county were rural nonresidents. 

Jackson County, Minn. J . B. Ar]), Jackson. — We graduate from 100 
to 150 pupils from the eighth grade of our rural schools annually 
and hold central graduation exercises in May. Over 1,000 people 
attend these exercises from all over the county, and about 250 rural- 
school officers come together on the same day for a conference on 



INSTRUCTION. 25 

better schools. Wc also hold a boys' 1-acre corn contest the past year 
and gave a $45 corn planter for first premium to the boy obtaining 
the best yield, and a list of other premiums amounting to $50. For 
this contest we have nearly 100 contestants; and, besides this, we 
have in connection with our county fair all sorts of premiums for 
agricultural products and manual-training exhibits as well as school 
work of all lands, maldng a total of over $200 in premiums. 

Martin County, Minn. C. J . Tirnms, superintendent, Fairmont. — 
We have started an educational museum for the schools of the 
county. The exhibits were obtained from various manufacturers, 
railroad companies, and steamship hues. These we lend to schools 
for use in geography and other lessons. We also have on hand a 
complete file of the various bulletins published by the United States 
Department of Agriculture, and the vaiious agricultural colleges. 
These have been carefully catalogued and are lent to teachers, schools, 
and farmers. We also keep on hand a complete exhibit of work done 
by pupils in the country schools. This we find of great lielp in 
inspiring others. 

Woodford County, III. Eoy L. Moore, superintendent, EureJca, — In 
District No. 73, Woodford County, a new and very satisfactory 
plan for teaching domestic science in the rural schools has been fol- 
lowed. Permission was secured by two competent women of the 
neighborhood to use the schoolhouse from May 1 to September 1. 
The directors were asked to purcha,se some planed boards to lay 
across the desks for cutting table. The classes were open to girls 
from the three districts adjoining. There was no charge connected 
with the work, but each girl was expected to bring a tapeline, scis- 
sors, thimble, pins, needles, notebook, pencil, and material for a 
dress. The ages of the girls ranged from 12 to 19 years. 

Pupils were taught the tailor system of measurements. During 
the summer 43 dresses were worked upon. Various grades of cot- 
ton goods were studied. The raw cotton was taken up also, ex- 
amined, and its uses were discussed. Besides the dresses, various 
other garments were made. 

Aside from this, much practical work was done in giving instruc- 
tion concerning washing and laundry work, the various kinds of 
soaps, and recipes for homemade soap. Twenty-one girls were 
enrolled in the class. The directors in one of the adjoining districts 
have asked that the work be given in their district next year. 

Tippecanoe County, Ind. Brainard Hoolcer, superintendent. La Fay- 
ette. — The work in manual training and in sowing was extended to 
five additional schools. The employment of a skilled supervisor in 
woodwork for four of these schools is a new feature for this county, 
and it has proved a successful experiment. Three other schools 
5499S=>_14 4 



26 FEATURES IN RURAL SCHO9L IMPROVEMENT. 

employed a supervisor of art and sewing. This was also highly 
satisfactory, and considerable improvement is seen in the other work 
of these grades. 

Elementary agriculture was introduced in the grades of all schools 
of the county last year. The county superintendent attended the 
summ.er school at Purdue University and spent the five weeks in the 
course given by the State College of Agriculture studying agriculture 
and methods in the teaching of agriculture. Feeling certain that 
many of the practical lessons of agriculture can be taught by women 
as well as by men, the county superintendent con^anced his county 
board of education that the mere fact of the majority of teachers in 
the county being women was not to be taken as evidence that ele- 
mentary agriculture could not be taught in all the schools. The 
previous objections of the board were waived and a unanimous vote 
cast favoring the scheme planned by their superintendent. 

A series of circulars was prepared covering the following subjects: 
The apple tree study and arbor day, corn and weed seed, the chicken, 
horse judging, cattle judging, seed-corn testing, the home-school 
garden, and club work. Children of the fourth, iBfth, and sixth 
grades were given packages of flower and garden seeds and asked to 
plant and cultivate home gardens during their vacation, and to 
report to the teacher in September, They were promised credit for 
the term examinations in elementary agriculture for 1913-14 if their 
work was satisfactory. 

Children of the seventh to the twelfth grades were invited to join 
one of the clubs organized in the county — a corn club for boys, a 
gardening and canning club for girls, and a poultry club for boys and 
girls. These clubs follow the rules laid down by Purdue University. 
There are 41 members of the corn club, 19 of the gardening and can- 
ning club, and 52 of the poultry club. In the effort to organize these 
clubs the county superintendent took with him to the consohdated 
schools an extension worker from the poultry department of Purdue 
University who lectured to the children on poultry raising, gave 
demonstrations of how to prepare poultry for the frying pan and the 
oven, conducted egg-testing demonstrations, made a study of the 
egg, and of the anatomy of the chicken. Eleven schools were 
visited, and the children in every school but one showed marked 
interest. 

Gunnison County, Colo. Sara B. Easterly, superintendent, Gunni- 
son. — A year or so ago some work was done in the county in ele- 
mentary agriculture. Rural boys studied hay and cattle feed raised 
here in relation to beef products (the principal production of this 
county). Several schools did some manual- trainiag work in the 
way of making necessary fittings for the schoolroom. One or two 
teachers "Ud very successful work in sewing. One teacher, whose 



INSTEUCTION. • 27 

boys wanted to sew, put them to maldng canvas carpenter aprons 
and taught them to sow on buttons and mend ordinary rents. 

One teacher, who was a chafing-dish expert, took her dish to school 
and added appetizing bits to her own and the pupils' cold lunches. 
She took up the simple elements of cooking with her pupils in this 
way. Another school took care of the school lunches one winter in 
this manner: Each family sent some one article, such as the bread, 
the meat, or the milk, on one day, while other famiUes ea<ih brought 
a special thing. The teacher and the larger girls cooked these things 
on a common stove and served a warm meal to all present. The 
mothers were pleased with this idea, as they said they found it easier 
to put up a few potatoes, a can of milk, or a loaf or two of broad 
each day than a whole lunch for five or six children. Each day the 
menu for the following day was planned and each family directed 
what to bring. 

Jefferson County, Pa. L. Mayne Jones, superintendent, Brool-- 
ville. — In two of the country schools an experiment was made in 
attempting to give the advanced pupils construction work in wood, 
sewing, and basketry. While the amount of work done was not 
extensive, the experiment was a success. This work gave some 
valuable training and discipline, but the greatest benefit was the 
increased interest and enthusiasm and the efficiency thus brought 
to all the work of the schools. 

The experiments conducted last year indicate that industrial work 
is feasible in the rural school, and also that it has a general as well 
as special value. They also show that any teacher who is interested 
and willing to study and work on this problem can succeed. One of 
the teachers who did this work last year had absolutely no training 
for it, and the other had only a few lessons in woodwork. 

These teachers are planning to have ladies from the patrons' asso- 
ciation come to school on Friday afternoons and give instruction in 
sewing. I believe this wiU open up a valuable field of labor for the 
rural school. 

CTiester Toumship, Ohio. Harley H. Smith, superintendent, New 
Burlington. — During the past school year we did some good work in 
cooking and sewing. Our equipment for cooking, in the high school 
as well as in the grade schools, consists of a coal-oil stove, a few tables, 
and cooking utensils, all of which were donated by parents at a 
''kitchen shower." The teacher who had charge of this work in our 
high school was not a graduate in either domestic science or domestic 
art, but with grit and determination she introduced the work and 
made a successful beginning. 

During the coldest part of winter we served to the children warm 
lunches, with a varied menu each day. These lunches were served 
for 2 and 3 cents each, and they proved not only very beneficial 



28 FEATURES IN RURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

physically but also socially, as we were served each day by previously 
appointed cooks and waiters, chosen from the boys and girls. This 
fall wo expect to can tomatoes and other vegetables for lunches during 
the winter. 

The girls were taught plain sewing and made curtains for the win- 
dows and rugs for the floors. 

Second district, Saratoga County, N. Y. Lou Mcssinger, suverin- 
tendent, BaUston Sim. — In my schools I have gone among the teachers 
and worked personally with each one to arouse an interest in common 
things and the things of rural life. One means I have taken is to get 
an increased interest in drav/ing and handwork. The drawing is 
mostly of the nature of design, v/ith the object of making pupils know 
better combinations of colore in rugs, wall paper, oilcloth, etc. In 
several schools the primary pupils have worked out original designs 
for borders, surface patterns, etc., and then have worked these out 
in cross-stitch on holders, pillow covers, and various other household 
articles. Several teachers have organized sewing classes, in each case 
to teach plain sewing and mending. One teacher has awakened a 
great interest in the cocoons and moths of the locality. This in itself 
is not so important, but the amount of mf ormation those pupils acquire 
while in search of something about moths is of vast importance, 
besides the power it gives them of accpiiring other knowledge by 
their own efforts. 

Yiarren County, Ind. Harry Evans, superintendent, Williamsport. — 
Perhaps the very best thing that has been done in any school in this 
county was the introduction of some elementary work in agriculture. 
This was put in the high school at Pine village, and the students 
eligible were given the option of the work in agriculture or Virgil. 
With one exception all took both subjects. As a result of the interest 
in this work and the reflected interest shown in other subjects, these 
people had scholarship grades about 5 per cent higher on the average 
than they had maintained the year before. This increased average 
was not reached because the bright ones had grades that were un- 
usuall}^ high, but because the "plodders," seeing some incentive in 
their work, took more interest in all subjects. Not only were the 
scholarship grades better, but the average per cent of attendance was 
about 5 per cent better, due, as we think, to the increased interest. 
Girls and boys vied with each other in the work, which included, in 
a very general way, soils, crops, animal husbandry, and dairying. 
The girls showed as much interest in judging stock as the boys, and 
their judgment was as good in most cases. 

Caldwell ParisJi, La. E. II. Turner, superintendent, Columbia. — 
We secured for the Graj^son School departments of agriculture and 
domestic science and have equipped that school for this work by pur- 



• IMPROVING TUE TEACHEPS IN SERVICE. 29 

chasing farming implonicntrf, slock, etc., and by erecting a modern 
barn in accordance with plans of the State department. We have 
also installed in the kitchen a cook range and a kitchen cabinet, with 
necessary equipment. 

Clinton County, Ind. Marion W. Salmon, superintendent, Frank- 
fort. — This is the first year that domestic science has been taught in 
any of the public schools of the county. The trustee of one township 
put a sewing course in a consolidated school this year under the super- 
vision of a competent teacher. The course was open to the girls of 
the seventh to the twelfth year, inclusive, and was made elective. 
Every girl in those grades took it and remained in to the end of the 
year. Nothing but handwork was done the first semester. Some of 
the girls ui the beginning did not know on which finger to v/oar a 
thimble. Many of them, however, became skillful with the needle by 
the close of school. 

Machines were introduced the second semester. Many of the girls, 
even in the higher grades, had never used a machine, but before school 
closed many were able to cut, fit, and make garments for themselves. 
The course is very popular with both pupils and patrons. 

IMPROVING THE TEACHERS IN SERVICE. 

Boulder County, Colo. J. H. Shriher, superintendent. — Boulder 
County has 66 school districts, and 62 of these are of the third class, 
representing town and country schools. These 62 districts have been 
grouped into 12 "centrals," or worldng units, each comprising from 
three to five contiguous districts, in which a strong village or rural 
school is used as the central point. 

The teachers of each group elect a chairman and secretary and 
hold monthly meetings at the central school. Tb.e main part of the 
program of these meetings is a study and discussion of the course of 
study for the forthcoming month, as outlined and sent to the teachers 
monthly by the county superintendent. Each teacher who teaches 
all grades discusses a subject from the monthly outhnes, as arithmetic, 
for example, beginning with the first year and carrying the discussion 
through the grades to the eighth year, thus shomng the continuity 
of the work to be done in the several grades. The secretary of each 
group makes a brief report to the superintendent's office of the 
program carried out and of the number of teachers present and 
absent. The results of this effort for more effective organization 
and supervision of rural schools are as follows: 

1. The isolated condition of the soUtary school is in a degree over- 
come and the weak or inexperienced teacher is brought in frequent 
contact with the strong teacher of her group. 

2. The co-jntry school can be standardized and its student body 
held for strontrer work. 



30 FEATURES IN" RURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

3. City superintendents, principals, and strong grade teachers can 
be secured to address and give encouragement to the teachers of the 
several groups. » 

4. Reading circle work and extension work offered by universities 
and teachers' colleges can be undertaken and made interesting and 
profitable. 

5. By increasing the school unit from the district to the group, it 
approaches in a sensible way the problem of real consoHdation, 
pointing the way to the estabUshment of rural high schools and to 
the employment of a supervising principal for each group. 

6. In effect it gives the county superintendent 24 assistants whose 
business it is to maintain liigh standards for the several groups of 
districts. 

Clinton County, Iowa. George E. Farrell, superintendent, Clinton. — 
Clinton County consists of 20 civil townships, in each of wliich is in 
active operation a teachers' study club, which holds meetings one- 
half day each month under the direction of a leader appointed by the 
county superintendent. Three to four hours are given to intensive 
study and discussion of school topics. The course for a year's study 
is divided into eight parts and outUned for each month by the super- 
mtendent. Thus each club pursues similar work; meetings are 
generally held during an afternoon of a regular school day. Our 
school boards, with the exception of a few individual directors, grant 
this half day without requirmg their teachers to make up the time k)st. 
The secretary of each club keeps an accurate record, and reports in 
detail to the superintendent the proceedings of each meeting and the 
attendance of all members and visitors. 

In addition to the eight teachers' meetings held during the year 
by each club, at least one patrons' meeting and school exliibit is 
held for the entire township under the auspices of the local study 
club. The county superintendent aims to be present at each patrons' 
meeting and school exhibit and at not less than one teachers' meeting 
in each township. 

We have had these teachers' study clubs for two years and their 
results are very noticeable. Teachers are worldng as a unit for a 
common end — better schools. Pupils are interested because their 
teachers are alive and are using mde-awake methods. Parents are 
interested, and even the indifferent school officer is awakening. The 
clubs are not averse to passing resolutions commending or condemning 
the action or inaction of boards. 

During the year now closing our records show an average attend- 
ance of more than 90 per cent of our teachers, and there are also in 
regular attendance from our town and city schools many students 
who desire to become teachers. Patrons and school officers are fre- 
quent visitors and the patrons' meetings are largely attended. 



IMPEOVING THE TEACHEES IN SERVICE. 31 

A marked spirit of sclf-roliaiico is manifested by our teachers, as 
the entire responsibiUty of arrangmg and carrying out those meetings 
is reposed wholly in' the various clubs. 

Kno.t County, III. Walter F. Boyes, superintendent, Galeshurg. — 
The plan of our teachers' meetings is as follows: The county superin- 
tendent designates the number of teachers, 6 to 12, to meet at a cer- 
tain county school on a certain date at 9 o'clock. The forenoon is 
spent in observing the regular work of the school. Neither the county 
superintendent nor any visitor has anything to say. All keep in the 
background as much as possible with the idea of embarrassing the 
members of the school as little as may be. At noon the pupils are 
dismissed and teachers and county superintendent give the afternoon 
to a discussion of the problems of teaching, with special reference to 
what had been observed during the forenoon. 

The plan has been approved by the annual directors' meeting of the 
county, and only 5 directors out of a possible 480 express any unwil- 
lingness to allow the teacher the day. Of 160 teachers listed, 144 
were present at one of the 18 meetings held. All the teachers attend- 
ing except one thought the meetings helpful. One did not desire to 
express himself. 

The advantage of such a meeting is that it gives discussion a con- 
creteness impossible in most teachers' meetings. Practically every 
teacher at each of the meetings was most alert and attentive. Enough 
difference of opinion was developed to make the discussions most 
lively and interesting. Everybody took part, owing to the entire 
absence of formahty. To make such a meeting of the greatest value 
is a real day's work for the county superintendent, but for the im- 
provement of actual class teaching in his schools I do not know how 
he could spend the day to better advantage. 

Logan County, 111. D. F. Nichols, superintendent, Lincoln. — In our 
efforts to improve the corps of teachers we let them know at the outset 
that the merit system prevails. This gives every teacher an oppor- 
tunity to be measured according to her efforts. Certificates are 
renewed without examination, providing there are no grades below 
75 per cent. Success in teaching, institute attendance, and reading- 
circle work are the requirements for renewal. We have an annual 
institute lasting one week just before schools open in September. We 
favor a late institute, as it does not interfere with teachers' vacations 
and its value is not dissipated before actual work in the schoolroom 
begins. At least three or four normal-school instructors are employed 
to do the instructing. In addition to this, we have a county teachers' 
association, which holds two semiannual meetings within the school 
year. 

Lebanon County, Pa. John W. Snolce, superintendent, Lebanon. — 
I have organized my teachers into four groups, viz: Rural teachers' 



32 FEATURES IN EURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

associfition, high-school and grammar grade teachers' association, 
intermediate grade teachers' association, and primary grade teachers' 
association. 

Besides meeting annually for one week in county teachers' insti- 
tute, we have each association or group of teachers meet at separate 
times twice a year for an entire day to discuss the work particularly 
pertaining to their group. Lectures and instructors are procured, 
and the v/ork of the association has proven to be most helpful. 

Butler County, Pa. Franlc A. Mc Clung, swpenntendent, Butler. — 
Last term we held a series of teachers' meetings over the county that 
were a little different from any ever held before. Two meetings were 
scheduled to be held in each township district. At one school in the 
district designated by the superintendent the children gathered as 
usual on Saturday and during the forenoon the usual classes were 
held. The other teachers of the district came to this school at the 
opening of school at 9 o'clock and observed the teaching during the 
morning session. At noon the children were dismissed, and during 
the afternoon topics of vital interest were discussed by the teachers 
to whom subjects had been assigned before. These meetings were 
attended by the teachers, patrons, and directors. Two meetings were 
held in ea.ch district. Those present and the result of the meeting 
were reported to the superintendent. In all 54 meetings were held, 
with a total attendance of over 400 teachers and nearly 200 directors. 

Howard County, Ind. Albert F. Ilutson, superintendent, KoJcomo. — 
The best step in progress we made in the past year was the mainte- 
nance of joint township institutes held once each month at the county 
seat. Heretofore we had conducted these in each township. In our 
jomt meeting we have sectional work composed of the following sec- 
tions: Primary, intermediate, high school, and district. We do sec- 
tional work in the forenoon. In the afternoon we have one or two 
good lectures along some school lines for the institute as a whole. 
This plan brings about unity of work, social relations, a saving of 
time and energy, better institutes, and a broader influence in every 
v/ay. 

Pushinatalia County, OMa. W. C. Payne, superintendent, Antlers.— 
Pushmataha is a large and thinly settled county, and the teachers 
have found it impracticable to meet together for reading-circle work. 
Last year they decided to organize as a hbrary association. The fee 
is 75 cents. The books are kept at the county superintendent's oflice, 
and the county superintendent acts as librarian. The books are 
mailed without cost to the teachers. The plan has been very suc- 
cessful, and mthin a few years we hope to have a well-equipped 
library. 

Series County, Pa. E. M. Rapp, superintendent, Reading. — Two 
agencies that have contributed greatly to the improvement of our 



IMPROVING THE TEACHERS IN SERVICE. 33 

teachers are the teachers' reading iniioii and the traveling pedagogical 
library for the use of the teachers of the county. 

The reading union has had a continuous existence since 1S91. Its 
objects are tlic improvement of its members in literary, scientific, and 
professional knowledge, and the promotion of habits of self-culture. 
One book is adopted for study each year. A diploma is granted to 
members of the imion who answer the prepared questions for three 
consecutive years and attain an average of 75 per cent. For each 
additional year's reading a seal is placed on the diploma. 

The results of the 20 years of the history of the union very fully 
justified the efforts made to improve the professional spirit among 
the teachers of the county. The growth of interest has been most 
gratifying. It is not an unusual thmg for a new venture to meet 
with success in the beginning and then gradually lose its hold and 
pass into neglect, leaving little but a remembered failure. But the 
Berks County teachers' reading union has steadily grown, each year 
fully justifying its existence by the improvement in the work done in 
the schools as a direct result of the fostering of higher educational 
standards and of encouraging a finer professional spirit. 

Our travelmg pedagogical library has 10 cases of 40 volumes each. 
An additional case will be added every year until the number reaches 
25, or about one case to every 25 teachers instead of 50, as at present. 
All of the cases are shipped from the office of the county superin- 
tendent at the beginning of the school term to local centers, where 
they remain until the close of the school term, when they are shipped 
back to the office of the superintendent. This is all the travelmg 
they do in a year. 

The local custodian is usually a school principal, and the books are 
usually kept at the school. All teachers, directors, and patrons may 
freely use the books. The local custodian keeps a careful record of 
all books distributed. The expense of transportation is borne by the 
reading union. 

The follov\dng card has been prepared and distributed to our 
teachers with good results : 

A Self-Grading Certificate of Success. 

CAN YOU GIVE YOURSELF 100 PER CENT? 

For ihe ScJiool Year Ending June, 19 — . 

THE TEACHER, 100 PER CENT. 
A. PERSONALITY, 20 PER CENT. 

1. Physical: Health, habity, industry, ability to do things, cleanliness, neatness of 

attire. 

2. Mental: Moral worth, habits, disposition, temperament, individuality, originality, 

power of initiative, self-control, sarcasm, sincerity of purpose, attitude toward 
children, ability to meet people. 



34 FEATURES IK EXTRAL SCHOCy. IMPROVEMENT. 

B. AS A STUDENT, 15 PER CENT. 

1. Lines of etiidy pursued. 

2. Lectures at tended. 

3. Vacation schools attended. 

C. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, 15 PER CENT. 

1. Problems of teacliing studied. 

2. Wdrk in township institutes or teachers' meetings in cities and towns. 

(a) Preparation. 
(6) Presentation. 

3. Attitude toward educational meetings. 

(a) Attendance. 

(b) Participation. 

4. Lectures attended. 

5. Vacation schools attended. 

D. AS AN INSTRUCTOR, 20 PER CENT. 

1. Preparation. 

(a) Before coming to class. 

(b) Assignments. 

(c) Skill in bringing the pupils into the right conscious attitude for the now 

truth to be presented. 

2. Presentation. 

(a) Knowledge of the mind of the pupil. 

(6) Knowledge of the matter to be presented. 

(c) Knowledge of ways of presentation. 

(d) Skill in presentation. 

3. Comparison or interpretation based on children's experiences. 

(a) Skill in keeping the minds of all the pupils centered on the new truth being 
presented and upon their own experience that will help them interpret 
at the same time. 

4. Generalization. 

(a) Skill in leading pupils to draw correct conclusions and to state them well, 

5. Application. 

(a) Skill in making people realize the new truth as their own. Ability in lead- 
ing pupils to discover that school problems are life problems. 

E. GOVERNMENT, 15 PER CENT. 

1. Two ways. 

(a) Through the conscious use of rewards and punishments. 

(b) Through the inspiration of personality. 

2. Two types or order. 

(a) Constrained, unnatural, and dead. 

(6) Free, natural, and alive with the busy hum of industry that accompanies 

the understanding that each pupil is to do his work without disturbing 

his neighbors. 

F. COMMUNITY INTEREST, 15 PER CENT. 

1. As illustrated by — 

(a) Ability to keep j^upils from withdrawing from school. 
(6) Ability to secure regularity in attendance. 

2. As illustrated by — ■ 

(a) Ability to send common-scliool graduates to high school. 

(b) Ability to send high-school graduates to higher institutions. 

3. As illustrated by — 

(a) Care of school property, keeping records, and making reports. 

(b) Sanitary conditions, decorations, and neatness. 

(c) Ability" to establish and maintain libraries and young people's reading 

circles, 
((f)- Cooperation with teachers, supervisors, and school ofhcials in school plans, 
exhibits, and meetings. 

(e) Part taken in the plans and affairs of the community. 

Total grade 

Teacher. 



IMPROVING THE TEACHERS IN SERVICE. 35 

At the end of tlie school year carefully mark the above schedule, and if you find 
that you fall below " 50" quit teaching for the sake of the children, for your sake, and 
for the sake of the State. 

Clinton County, l7\d. Marion W. Salmon, superintendent, Frank- 
fort. — At our midwinter meeting — a meeting attended by all the 
teachers of the county — we had a school exhibit that was very sug- 
gestive and helpfid to the teachers. The exhibit included work from 
every year from the primary to the high school, and from the one- 
room school as well as from the larger consolidated schools. It con- 
tained devices and suggestions for representing a great variety of 
work — booklets on home geography, nature study, and agriculture, 
English work correlated with those subjects, botany and physics note- 
books, drawing work and writing from all grades, anH an extensive 
sewing display from one of our largest consolidated schools. 

Mercer County, Pa. H. E. McConnell, superintendent, Mercer. — 
During the last two years we have tried to emphasize the follo^ving 
subjects: Reading, %vriting, and drawing. Much good work has been 
accomplished in each subject. In writing we have been using the 
"muscular movement." For two years we have had three special 
writing instructors at our county institutes, who drilled and trained 
the teachers in actual seat work in writing, just as they would drill 
pupils. Twice during each school year this has been followed up by 
these instructors at different places. Some districts have held special 
conferences under the direction of the instructors. Each teacher is 
requested to send monthly specimens of pupil's and teacher's writing 
to the office. The same plan was followed in drawing work last year. 

DartmoutJi Township, Mass. Albert S. Cole, superintendent, North 
Dartmouth. — During the year the teachers have met at a central 
schoolhouse for half a day on Saturdays to teach each other the 
handwork gleaned in the various normal schools where the teachers 
were trained. Basketry, chair caning, sewing, etc., have received 
quite an impetus from these meetings. 

Harris County, Tex. L. L. Pugh, superintendent, Houston. — The 
principals of the county have organized a schoolmasters' round table. 
Meetings are called once a month and school problems and all matters 
pertaining to the betterment of education are discussed. 

Each year a school annual is published, which reaches every home 
in the county. Arrangements have been made with the Carnegie 
Library to furnish books to rural-school teachers and supplementary 
reading matter to the children. 

Harrison County, Miss. J. J. Dawsey, superintendent. Gulf port. — 
A summer normal for the three coast counties has been held in my 
county for five years at Wiggins, Miss. The term lasts four weeks. 
We like this plan much better than the old plan of holdmg a one-week 



36 FEATUEES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. 

institute in each county with one instructor. We secured for this 
past summer five instructors, all specialists in their work. 

Chenango County, second district, N. Y. Albert C. Bowers, superin- 
tendent, Sherburne. — A study of school conditions was made to deter- 
mine which schools were in special need of strong teachers, either 
in the higher or lower gra,des, and of the teachers to determine the 
strength and weakness of each. As a result of this study, it has 
been possible to place the teachers in the district in the positions 
where each could accomplish the most during the school year. 
Many teachers who can do excellent work in one school would do 
poor work in another; those who can do well with lower grades are 
often unable to do well with higher grade pupils, while it is equally 
true that others who can do satisfactorily the higher grade work are 
not fitted for the work of the first three grades. 

School exhibits were held durmg the year in connection with 
teachers' conferences, at which were shown samples of handwork by 
both boys and gMs, together with an exhibit of the regular school 
work. 

In the small country schools conditions vary so much that no tvro 
schools can follov/ the same method of procedure. Much is left to 
the judgment of the teacher. In a few schools there were maintained 
girls' clubs which met each month and served lunch prepared by 
the children. In these schools, the children became much inter- 
ested m cooking. Other schools took up sewing as a special Vs^ork, 
and boys as well as girls seemed to enjoy it. In other schools, hand- 
work was encouraged; elementary science apparatus, windmills, 
waterwheels, weathercocks, and many other things v/ere made by 
the boys. Tlie results obtained gave promise that much could be 
accomplished by a teacher who will correlate the v.'Ork with geogra- 
phy, drawing, and mathematics. For example, boys devised appa- 
ratus to determuie wind velocity, and also other v/eather apparatus. 
Neat weather charts were prepared. Waterv.dieels were constructed, 
modeled after wheels in near-b}^ places using water power. 

One day in the term was given by each teacher to visitmg schools 
and observing the work of the teachers visited. A carefully prepared 
report to the district superintendents was required. Suggestions 
for making the report were sent to each teacher, together v/ith the 
list of schools in Vvdiich observations might be made. This brought 
the observers into contact \\dth some of the strong teachers while at 
work, and required them to record the methods and means used in 
obtainmg results. _ 



IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, ETC. 37 

IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, EQUIPMENT, 

ETC. 

Knox County, Tenn. M. ir. ^yllson, superintemlent, Knoxville. — In 
Knox County we erected during last year 14 new buildings, at a cost 
of $25,000. One of these was for a consolidated school where four 
schools had been brought to one center. This consolidated school is 
a brick veneered building costing $10,000. All the other buildings 
have two rooms. During the last two years we have reduced the 
number of buildings from 154 to 136. We are trying to do away 
with all one-room schools in the county, but 34 still remain. We 
are now erecting three new agricultural high schools, at a cost of 
$50,000. In these schools we expect to have both grammar and 
high-school departments, with four teachers in the grammar grades 
and four m the high-school department. Tliese buildings are being 
erected on sites of 15 acres of good land donated to the county for 
demonstration work. All are brick veneer, with slate roofs, steam 
heat, and all modern conveniences, 

Jackson County, Minn. J. B. Aiy, superintendent, Jackson. — We 
have in Jackson County, outside of 3 high schools with 8 or more 
grades and departments and 4 small village schools of 2 or 3 depart- 
ments each, about 112 one-room rural schools. Of these 112 schools, 
107 have attained the standard now demanded in Minnesota to be 
classed as "rural State-aided schools of 'A,' 'B,' or 'C grade." 

Each schoolhouse is heated and ventilated by some good system 
of jacketed stove that keeps the air fresh and the temperature even 
any day of the 3"ear; and the buildings are in such state of repah' as 
to make this comparatively easy in any school. No buildmg in the 
county is loft unpainted or unsightly, and the last 10 or 12 buildings 
erected are pleasing in architecture, lighted from one side only, 
with ceilings 12 feet or more in height, providmg 18 square feet or 
more of floor space per pupil, with hardwood and well-oiled floors, 
and with modern individual desks. 

The apparatus consists of not less than 100 square feet of slate 
blackboard, one modern unabridged dictionary, not less than 5 
academic or other abridged dictionaries, 1 set of regular readers and 
2 or more sets of supplementary readers for each grade (which means 
from 10 to 30 sets of good readers), a case of 8 maps and a State 
map for geography work, a good 12-inch globe, and from $5 to $10" 
worth of primary material for the lower grades. 

Every school also has a reading library aside from its textbook 
library with not less than 40 volumes and up to 250 or 300 volumes 
of children's books. Textbooks in Minnesota may either be bought 
by the pupils or owned by the districts, but Jackson County has 
no school that is not supplied by the district with textbooks, aside 



38 PEATUEES IN EUKAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

from its free libraries. The average annual cost per pupil of such 
textbooks in only a little over 50 cents after the first purchase. 

La Salle Parish, La. J. Wolfe Carter, superintendent, Jena. — We 
have recently finished and are now occupying a $30,000 brick school 
building in one part of the parish and will build a $6,000 frame school- 
house this summer in another section of the parish. We have estab- 
lished manual-training and domestic-science departments in those 
schools and are planning to extend this work to the smaller schools. 
We have established an agricultural school and propose to place great 
emphasis on this phase of education. 

Jefferson County, Nehr. R. C. Harris, superintendent, Fairhury. — 
Some 50 rooms are now properly heated and ventilated. Single seats 
have been installed in more than half of the 102 schools of the county. 
People are beginning to realize that it does not pay to require a small 
child to sit in a seat that is too large. Quite a number of rural schools 
have been erected, and in each case they have proper lightmg. One 
rural district is now erecting a modern building costing $2,200, which 
win have a full basement for playroom and other purposes. About 
12 other schools are now supplied with playground apparatus. 

Ransom County, N. Dale. C. E. Cavett, superintendent, Lisbon. — 
Consolidation of schools is attracting the greatest amount of attention 
in this county at this time. At present we are erecting two buUdings 
which will provide ample room for graded and high-school work. We 
are also establishing a house on the ground for the superintendent. 
This will enable him to live near his work and board the other teach- 
ers. We are hiring college graduates for these schools, and we shall 
msist on maldng the positions as permanent as possible. In addition 
to this every board in my county has pledged itself to fix up at least 
one school so as to meet the requirements for State aid. 

Third district, Erie County, N. Y. William E. Pierce, superintendent. 
East Aurora. — Much attention has been given to equipment. Practi- 
cally every school is supplied with a modern bookcase and a good work- 
ing library. Suitable maps, charts, globes, and dictionaries are to be 
found in all the schools. A piano or organ is found in many of them. 
Wall clocks and suitable framed pictures are provided. Attention 
has been given to suitable pupUs' desks and seats properly arranged. 

Pierce County, Wash. H. R. Cox, superintendent, Tacoma. — We 
have been especially emphasizing the work of playground apparatus 
and playsheds. District No. 74, at Elbe, is buildmg a $3,000 gym- 
nasium. Districts No. 49 and No. 41 have built substantial, well- 
equipped playsheds. Almost all the schools of the county are doiiig 
something along the Ime of playground apparatus. In several dis- 
tricts the boys and girls are installing homemade apparatus. In 
Eatonville, m addition to the 4^ acres, the district has purchased 10 



IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, ETC. 39 

acres of groimil with a good water system installed, and this is to 
constitute agricultural experiment grounds and athJetic field. 

Logan County, III. D. F. Nichols, superintendent, Lincoln. — In 
kecpmg up and improving the physical equipment of our rural and 
village schools we use the plan of the State superintendent of public 
instruction for standardizmg our schools. As a result, more improve- 
ments have been made during the past 5 years than in the precedmg 
10. Of the 104 rural schools in the county, 45 are fully standardized, 
and all the remainder have been helped by means of the standarcU- 
zation scheme. We hope to increase our number of standard schools 
to 60 during 1913-14. 

We have averaged two new rural-school houses a year for five years. 
These buildmgs are all modern and up to date in every particular. 
The following towns have recently put up new school buildings, all 
of them being very complete in equipment and conveniences: Eden, 
$12,000; Middletown, $18,000; Mount Pulaski grade school, $30,000 
and township high school, $45,000; and Atlanta, $50,000. 

The salaries of the rural and village teaphers will average with the 
best in Illinois. One rural teacher is getting $113 per month for nine 
months. Salaries of $75 to $95 per month are numerous. 

Monroe County, N. Y. W. W. Rayiield, district superintendent, 
Webster. — I urged upon aU teachers to have a general clean-up day 
in the spring, and I noted with pleasure that, with a few exceptions, 
the school grounds were put in tip- top shape; ashes removed, yards 
graded, tulip beds planted, and many creditable school gardens main- 
tamed for the first time. In many districts the schooboom, wmdows, 
etc., received a genuine cleanmg, the work being done by the pupils. 

Lamar County, Tex. W. H. Snow, superintendent, Paris. — During 
the year 1912-13 we built 20 modern school buildings in Lamar 
County. Nearly all of these were erected by the issuance of school 
district bonds. The amounts ran from $1,000 to $16,000. Some 
miserable shacks have been replaced by modern, up-to-date school 
buildings. 

Flathead County, Mont. May Trumper, superintendent. Kalis- 
pell. — The very best thing done m our rural schools this year has been 
the rearranging of several of our old one-room rural schools so as to 
have the rooms properly lighted. 

The old rooms had windows on opposite sides. The windows on 
one side have been closed and blackboard placed the fuJl length of that 
side. The seats have been turned to face tliis blackboard. This 
has been tried as an experiment in three schools, with such satisfac- 
tory results that the trustees this summer will place extra ^vindows 
at the rear of the room, or at the rear and left of the children. We 
have had the experiment tried in three different j)artsi of the county 



40 FEATURES IN KUEAL SCHgOL IMPROVEMENT. 

in the hope that adjoining districts may catch the idea. As soon as 
the windows are moved, the attention of all districts will be called 
by a circular letter to what has been done in the three schools. 

SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 

Newton County, Mo. E. H. Newcomb, superintendent, Neosho. — I 
consider the most important tiling attempted for the rural schools of 
this county during the last year to be the beginning of the move- 
ment toward making the "school the community center." We have 
sought by some means to bring home interests and school interests 
together and thus to make the work of the school more nearly sup- 
plement that of the home. We have sought to interest patrons and 
parents in the daily work of the school and to get them to feel that 
the wehare of the school depends directly upon their efforts in its 
behah". We have tried to teach also that the schoolhouse and 
premises are pubhc property and should be used for any and all 
public purposes, the lecture, the mothers' club, farmers' organiza- 
tions, etc. . 

In the endeavor to bring the school and the home together we 
have used two methods of procedure. One is the doing of that 
work in school which wih supplement that done at home and wliich 
grows out of the home interests. I here refer to practical agriculture 
and nature-study work, domestic science, and the study of farm 
management and rural government. The other method is the 
endeavor to get patrons interested in the Vvork of the school by giv- 
ing them an opportunity to visit the school and to contribute time 
and effort in the school-day programs. 

In every district there is a day set aside and known as parents' 
day. It is a day, early in the 3''ear, when parents are invited to the 
schoolhouse to spend the day. The old farm wagon and the "big 
dinner" are always hi evidence, and the general results of the day's 
exercises have been more than gratifying. The attendance through- 
out the county for the last school term aggregated 2,000 persons, 
and the various communities have been warmed with community 
and neighborly good wiU and have responded to the "call of the 
school." The day within itseh is of httlc benefit compared wth that 
derived from the one feehng that the pa,rent has actually gone to 
the schoolhouse and spent the day in the interest of the education 
of the child. The cliildren are anxious for the day to come, and they 
often afterwards prevail on the father or mother to come again to 
the school. The parent, too, is awakened to the fact that the teacher 
has the welfare of the child at heart and that the interests of both 
are common. Growhig out of the manifest interest in these parents' 
days there has arisen another school exercise known as school day. 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 41 

For educational purposes the county is divided into seven districts. 
Each of these centers around a village or a larger town, and it is 
here that the school-day exercises are held. In one of these dis- 
tricts the school day comes with the county fair; in others with 
farmers' day or with other rural or village activities. At some time 
during the autumn school day is observed. Hundreds of people 
are in attendance. At Seneca in the fall of 1913 more than 1,500 
people gathered to witness the work. At Ritchey, a village of 200 
mhabitants, more than 800 people were present. The exercises 
consist of teachers' meetings in the forenoon, display work all day, 
contests in declaiming and speUing about the middle of the day, and 
athletics in the afternoon. Many Idnds of exliibits have been made, 
much interest has been taken in the athletic (field events) features, 
and great pride in the school parade. Thousands of people attended 
these exercises last year, and in the seven lines of march there were 
more than 2,000 children. In the various contests and exhibits 
prizes were offered and awarded. 

Through these three days — parents' day, school day, and gradua- 
tion day — the peoj^le are awakening to the fact that schools exist 
and that the work of the school after all is worthy the support and 
good will of the Ixome, that the home and the school should go hand 
in hand, and that the schoolhouse should no longer be closed for 
the major part of the time. They are slowly coming to feel that the 
work of the community and of the school is common ground and 
that what aids one will and must necessarily help the other, and that 
the community interests must be toward the best welfare of the 
community school. 

Yamhill County, Oreg. S. S. Duncan, superintendent, McMinn- 
ville. — Our annual school fan- has come to be the "big event" of the 
year in the comity. During the entire school year we encourage 
industrial work in every school, and we have only to get the products 
of these efforts together to have such a display that our fak building 
is taxed to the utmost. Last year's fan- increased 50 per cent over 
the year before, and everything indicates a like increase this 3'ear. 

As a means of creating the interest necessary for success in industrial 
work, we are holding rallies in the country districts. We include from 
four to six school districts in a raUy district, and hold the meeting 
at a central school building. The program consists of discussions on 
such subjects as ''The relation of the school and the home," "What 
I expect the school to do for the community," "Beautifying school 
premises," "The purpose and scope of the rural school." School 
men and women, as weU as patrons, take part in this work, and Vv^e 
usually secure a man from one of the State educational institutions 
to give an address. 



42 FEATUEES IN EUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMETTT. 

It is a veritable "get-together movement/' and is doing much to 
create an interest in the schools. These free discussions cause the 
patrons to feel that they have something to do with the management 
of the schools, that they must feel responsible to an extent for what 
is taught there, and that the schools are for the purpose of developing 
character and not merely to teach facts from textbooks. Indeed, 
they are coming to see that the facts in general are not learned for 
themselves alone, but for the lessons that may be learned from them, 
and for the effect they have on the life of the child. 

The "rally spirit" is kept up later by organizing rural school im- 
provement clubs in every district. They elect a president, a vice 
president, and a secretary. They meet about once a month and dis- 
cuss anything that may be of interest to school patrons. The 
teacher and pupils usually give a short program, and a lunch is quite 
often served. They arrange for visiting the school regularly, and 
they visit it, not in a spirit of criticism, but with an honest purpose 
of investigation, with a view to aid the teacher m every Vv^ay. 

Jefferson County, Pa. L. Mayne Jones, superintendent, Brool:- 
ville. — A number of the schools organized home and school associations 
and these associations were a very marked help. They turned their 
attention largely to the material needs of the school, such as sup- 
plying equipment, improving the grounds, etc. At West Reynolds- 
ville this association purchased a portable stage, a rug for the stage, 
and over 100 chairs. At Sigel several hundred feet of good cement 
sidewalk was made and some reference books purchased. At the 
Stone school over $50 in cash was raised for improving the grounds, 
and some work was done by volunteer labor. At Worthville trees 
were planted. At Upper Buchheit and Prospect money was raised 
to improve the grounds, and a literary society was conducted through 
the summer. In addition to the material assistance, these associa- 
tions have been invaluable as a means of bringing the home and 
school into close cooperation. 

Lafayette Parisli, La. L. J. Alleman, superintendent, Lafayette. — 
We are changmg the emphasis in our rural schools by entering into 
work related to agriculture, such as corn club^, cannmg clubs, poultry 
clubs, hog clubs, and domestic science clubs. In addition to a parish 
fair, where the best of this material is exhibited, we have an amiual 
"convocation day." The first of these was held in 1903 or 1904. 
On convocation day all the public school children of the parish 
assemble in Lafayette and form into line of march, headed by a brass 
band. Each school carries a banner, and the line of march proceeds 
through the principal street of the town to the campus of the South- 
western Louisiana Industrial Institute. There the children engage 
in literary, athletic, and agricultural contests. We have spelling 
matches, contests in arithmetic, singing, etc. Exhibits of domestic 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 4S 

science and art work, classroom work, such as writing, compositions, 
maps, and drawings, are shown. The agricultural exhibits include 
pigs raised by the boys, vegetables from the school gardens, poultry, 
canning, etc. We have annually about 2,000 children and nearly 
1,000 adults who attend these convocation days, and good results 
are obtained. 

Callioun County, S. C. D. S. MurpJi, superintendent, St. Mat- 
theios. — Each year, about the middle of April, a field day is held, 
in which all the schools of the county participate. The exercises are 
held at the county seat. In the morning the literary exercises are 
held. These include contests in the academic branches, such as 
spelling, history, and arithmetic. The contests are written or oral, 
as seems best in each instance. Then follows a practical address by 
some well-known educator. Dmner is served on the grounds; in the 
afternoon athletic contests are held, and prizes are awarded to the 
winners in both the literary and the atldetic contests. 

These exercises have created the most intense interest throughout 
the county, and have beeii the means of awakening more interest in 
the schools of the county than any other one thing I have been able 
to bring to pass during my term of office. At the last field day hero 
about three-fifths of the entire white population of the county were 
in attendance. 

Colfax County, Nehr. F. J. Vogltance, superintendent, Schuyler, — 
Our rural school literary societies are composed of the yoimg men 
and women in the small school districts whose names do not appear 
on the school register as regular pupils in school. These young people 
meet at the schoolhouses m the evenings, elect their officers, etc., and 
decide on the kind of program they wish to prepare for next meeting. 
Their programs usually consist of recitatiorfs, dialogues, songs, etc. 
^lany young people in the rural districts take music, vocal or instru- 
mental lessons, and such programs give them a splendid opportunity 
to appear before the public. One of these small schools where there 
were a few of these programs given last winter bought a good piano 
^^^.th the admission fees. Some have debates on subjects of general 
interest. AU their meetings are held at the schoolhouses. The tele- 
phones, R. F. D.'s, and automobiles help them to advertise their pro- 
grams and get crowds larger than the schoolhouses can accommodate. 
The teacher is usually the one who gets things started, and often she 
takes part in the program, or some of her pupils. 

Keitli County, Nehr. Genevieve Richmond, superintendent, Oga~ 
lalla. — More than two-thirds of our teachers had something in the 
way of social work in their schoolhouses during the year. These 
gatherings were literary societies, box socials, debates, programs, 
dinners, and other things. 



44 PEATUKES liN" KUEAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

Several teachers taught sewing without interfering with their class 
work. Two teachers served hot lunches every day. The school 
work of the county was better than ever before. For the first time 
in the seven years I have been in office it was possible to secure a 
sufficient number of qualified teachers, instead of dealing in "permits," 
as we had found necessary before. 

Lycoming County, Pa. G. B. Milnor, superintendent, Muncy. — 
Parent-teacher associations raised for school improvements during 
1912-13 $3,935.52. Sociables and entertainments by teachers and 
pupils brought the larger part of this sum. The money was expended 
in the various schools of the county for all kinds of improvements. 
Some schools purchased libraries, fixtures, and play-ground equip- 
ment, while other schools spent their money in beautifying the school 
grounds with trees, shrubbery, and flov/ers. The parent-teacher club 
of one school put a new roof on their building, while many schools 
were pro'V'ided with curtains, shades, and water jars. 

Gloucester County, N. J. D. T. Steelman, superintendent, Wood- 
hury. — Some form of industrial or manual training is now taught in 
all of our rural schools, and just prior to the closing of the schools a 
special day is set apart for exhibiting the hand vrork of pupils. 
Parents are invited to these exhibits, and I find an unusual amount of 
interest has been aroused m the rural communities by this means. 
On April 5 our first annual exhibit of the school work of the county 
was held in the courthouse at Woodbury, every school in the county 
exhibiting. Four thousand persons from our own and adjoining 
counties were in attendance. That you may better understand the 
interest manifested in this exhibit by people in the rural section, I 
will state that one family, consisting of father, mother, daughter, and 
son, drove 12 miles over a country road to bring to the exhibit a 
peach pie which the daughter, a girl of 10 years of age, had made 
from a recipe furnished by her teacher. 

Greene County, III. George B. AfcClelland, superintendent, Carroll- 
ton. — Specimens of school work done during the year under the 
direction of the county superintendent are preserved in well-covered 
books and exhibited at the annual county fair and at the teachers' 
institute. Premiums are awarded to the schools preparing these, and 
also to pupils of the schools for exhibits of educational, agricultural, 
and domestic science work. A lively interest is taken by the people 
in these exhibits. Premiums of $300 in value are offered for this 
work by the fair association, $100 of which is contributed by the 
county board of supervisors. 

Fourth district, Saratoga County, N. Y. Ida M. Smith, superin- 
tendent, Saratoga Springs. — I have held two exhibits of school work at 
the close of the school year. These ha,ve placed before the public the 
work of the schools in such a manner that many things which were 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 45 

before unknown to the majority of the people have been called to their 
attention, aiid I feel that as a result the actual work of the schoolroom 
is held in better esteem. 

Monroe County, Ala. J . A. Barnes, superintendent, Jones Mills. — 
The principal of every school is made president of a local school 
improvement association. He is required by the superintendent to 
to organize his school ajid have every pupil do what he reasonably 
can (a) to promote better houses and equipments; (b) to promote 
better health conditions; (c) to adorn and beautify the school buildmg 
and grounds. 

llason County, III. Fannie Spaits Mervnn, superintendent, Ha- 
vana. — Two rural schools held "old pupils' reunions" which were 
attended by 125 and 150 "old scholars," respectively, some from dif- 
ferent States of the Union, even from Texas. At one of these a 
movement was set on foot to rebuild the schooihouse. 

Macon County, N. C. M. D. Billings, superintendent, Franlclin. — - 
The one thing which I think has stimulated public interest in the 
schools of the county more than anything else is the annual school 
exhibit given at the county seat near the close of the school term. 
This exhibit consisted of essays, notebooks, drawing, penmanshij), 
wood carving, sewing, and basketry. It would be hard to estimate 
the good that was derived from this exhibit, as it awakened great 
interest in the patrons of the different schools. I saw the result of 
this interest this year when making application to the county board 
of commissioners for a special tax in order that we might have a six 
months' school in every district in the county. The commissioners 
not only ga\ e the extra tax I asked, but after going over my estimates 
made the tax larger than I had thought of asking. The most gratify- 
ing aspect of this is that, so far as I know, the increased levy meets the 
approval of all the principal taxpayers of the county. 

Mercer County, N. J. J. M. Arnold, superintendent, Trenton. — In 
three of our schools the "school industrial credit for home work'" w^as 
undertaken with excellent results. Man}' of our teachers, hearing of 
this work, have requested that it be tried in their schools during the 
coming year. I give hercw^ith a letter from the teacher of the Stony 
Brook School: 

About February 1, 1913, the plan of allowing ''school industrial credit for home 
industrial work " was undertaken in the Stony Brook School. Lists of the things 
for which credit would be given, including habits of neatness and cleanliness, were 
printed and copies given to the pupils. Notebooks were furnished and daily records 
. kept of the amount and kind of work done in the home. These records were signed 
by the parents and from time to time shown to the teacher. A lively interest was 
Boon aroused, and home and school were brought into a closer relation. 

At a little social gathering a cake that was served was pronounced very fine. A 
mother proudly asserted that her daughter had made it. "She does nearly all the 
baking in the home since the home industrial plan was started, " she added. 



46 FEATURES IN KUEAL SCHO(*L IMPROVEMENT. 

Another mother wrote to the teacher in praise of the movement, 
saying that now her httle boy kept the wood box constantly suppHed, 
whereas before she had to coax him to get an armful. 

Parents were often heard to say that instead of constantly having 
to remind their children of the chores to be done before and after 
school the children did them without being told and seemed to enjoy 
doing them. Incidents might be multi])lied showing how the boys 
and girls made themselves useful in their homes, much to the joy and 
satisfaction of their parents. 

And the movement was not without its effect upon the school. 
Out of an enrollment of 25 pupils, 6 were neither absent nor tarfly 
during the year, an increase of 4 over the previous year; 15 were absent 
only when necessary, owing to sickness. Lessons were better pre- 
pared, and the better conduct of the pupils was noted in a marked 
degree. 

The undertaking was a success, and I hope to continue the work 
another year and to give it even more attention. 

Langlade County, Wis. A. M. Averson, superintendent, Antigo. — 
We took up the system of home credits, following the system used in 
Oregon, except that we added credits in final examination in some 
subjects, such as the following: 

In physiology 15 per cent for sleeping with windows open and com- 
ing to school with clean face and hands, and hair combed. 

In agriculture 10 per cent credit for making corn tester and testing 
at least 100 ears of corn. 

In agriculture 10 per cent credit for testing and keeping milk record 
of 5 cows for a month. 

About two-thirds of the teachers carried on this credit system, and 
most of them reported that it had helped them materially in creating 
a greater interest in the school work, because the school recognized 
not only the work of the children in school but their work outside. 
The parents took a greater interest in the school, and the children 
looked upon the home work as a pleasure, whereas it had been 
drudgery before. I expect, next year, to give greater credit in final 
examinations for work done at home. 

Manitowo'c County, ^Vis. C. W. Meisnest, superintendent, Mani- 
towoc. — During the past two years we have taken up in the county 
a line of agricultural exhibit work. This is planned as follows: 

In the spring of the year a large number of pupils all over the 
county, some from every school, plant home gardens. We tried to 
feature the important things, such as corn and potatoes, and received 
a sack of corn from our agricultural department of the university, 
for distribution to the children. I distributed this corn through the 
teachers, v/ho called for same at my office. A great many other 
vegetables were planted, and in most cases the children gave their 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 47 

little gardens fine attention during tlie summer. The teachers, in 
manj cases, corresponded with their pupils and encouraged them. 
In the fall the results of their efforts were exhibited in the schoolhouse. 
Most schools have a district agricultural fair. Besides agricultural 
])rochicts, there were exliibited others, such as school work, cooking, 
baking, sewing, etc. The fair was usually held in the afternoon, 
although in a few schools Friday afternoon and evening were given 
up for that purpose and the people turned out in large numbers. 
Generally, an outside speaker or two gave a short talk, but most of 
the program (agricultural) was furnished by the school and the 
3^ounger progressive farmers of the community. 

In a few cases the schools (six or eight) of an entire township 
brought their products together at a central hall, and in that way had 
a big exhibit. These township agricultural fairs, with exhibits from 
six or eight schools, were very successful, though the district agri- 
cultural fairs, I think, were most impressive. 

A second line of work which some of my schools have taken up is 
the Oregon idea of giving school credit for the regular home duties. 
Only a few" of my teachers, however, have taken this up the past year. 
Credit was given in various home duties and in sanitary lines, such as 
sleeping with open windows, brushing teeth, etc. 

I inaugurated the past year another somewhat similar line of work. 
This was the giving of credit at school, and also at my diploma ex- 
amination, for work done at home or at school along agricultural 
lines. I gave credit as follows: 

Per cent. 

1 . For making corn rack 3 

2. For horn garden 5 

3. For proper selection of seed com for father's planting 2 

4. Forha\ing performed alone or with the teacher at least 5 experiments as out- 

lined in my pamphlet or similar ones 5 

5. For performing germination test 5 

G. Babcock milk test 5 

7. Carpentry articles (for boys) or domestic science (sewing, cooking, etc., for 

girls) 5 

30 

In all, 30 per cent credit was accepted by me toward their standing 
in agriculture for this work, which was done either at school or at 
home. A certified statement from the teacher that such work had 
been done was presented as evidence. 

I also gave 20 per cent credit at my diploma cxanmiation toward 
standing in geography for pupils who drew to scale a map of their 
school district and inserted thereon some of the geographical things 
I suggested. I am sure this gave the pupils and the teachers a more 
thorough understanding of their districts than they ever had before. 



48 FEATUEES IN RURAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

These are some of tlie newer things we have been taking up in the 
county the past year or two. We have also our contests, commence- 
ment exercises for country schools, farmers' clubs, literary societies, 
etc. 

Second district, Saratoga County, N. Y. Miss Lou Messinger, super- 
intendent, Ballston Spa. — The four district superintendents in the 
county have organized an agricultural contest, vath products to be 
exhibited at the county fair in August of each year. The great value 
of this contest lies in the fact that only pupils from rural schools are 
allowed to enter it. We have also organized a contest in English 
and agriculture combined. Each pupil in every rural school in the 
county above the third grade is required during the year, as regular 
school work, to write an essay on some nature study or agricultural 
topic and submit it to his teacher. The teacher is to select the best 
3 of these and send them to the district superintendent. Then the 
best 3 in each supervisory district, or the best 12 in the county, are 
selected to be read by the writers for prizes at the county fair on 
education day. The writer of the best essay in each school receives 
a book as a prize. This has brought about a great interest in the 
English work in the schools. 

Lamoure County, N. Dale. Laura B. Sanderson, iMmonre. — For m^y 
entire term of office, four and one-half years, I have been pushing 
the industrial contests among school cliildren. We have had corn, 
potato, and semng contests. The "svinners at the county contest get 
a free trip to the short course given at our State agricultural college. 
Last fall I took 10 there. 

This year we have added contests in bread and butter making. 
We are also holding an acre alfalfa contest for the larger boys. I 
presented tliis matter of alfalfa gromng to the board of county com- 
missioners, and they furnished me seed for the boys. I felt that we 
should introduce nothing but the best pure-bred seed, and so we 
secured the best Grimm seed for these contests. Of course, Vv^e hope 
great things from this small beginning. For several years v/e car- 
ried on county spelling contests, the winners getting a free trip to 
the State contest held at the State capital. 

We have been trying out the plan of school credit for home work 
in some of the good village and rural schools of the county and find 
that it has worked out most successfully. Parents have approved 
of this work from the start and have helped it along. In most cases 
the school boards have furnished prizes, although in a few cases 
I have done it myself. 

Kane County, III. E. A. Ellis, superintendent, Geneva. — During 
the winter of 1912-13 about 135 boys enrolled as members of the 
Kane County boys' corn club. Out of this number, 12.6 received 
their allowance of seed corn and are working their prize acre this sum- 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 49 

mer. The shrinkage was duo to the fact that some moved out of the 
county and 'some moved to town this spring, and therefore did not 
have the avaihible land. The corn furnished the club was paid for 
by the Kane County board of supervisors, who purchased 27 bushels 
of the best-bred seed corn they could obtam at the rate of S5 per 
bushel. Each boy was allowed IG ears, was furnished with a seed 
tester, and given instructions as to the method of testing his corn. 
It is hoped that through this club a large amount of very good seed 
corn will be available for use throughout the county. 

The Kane County girls' sev/ing club was organized last year at the 
same time as the boys' corn club. Each member v/as given a Belding 
sewing book, and each school purchased a book on hand sewing les- 
sons. Each teacher was also furnished with the Ust of entries which 
are to be exhibited at the Kane County fai-mers' institute next year, 
and the suggestion was made that she direct the sewing efforts of the 
girls along these general Unes. Two hundred and twenty members 
have enrolled in this work and are preparing the material which they 
are to send to the farmers' institute. Much of this work is done at 
home, and we find that where teachers take an intelligent interest 
in directing the efforts of the girls they do a great deal of work at 
home and do it in a creditable manner. 

Davis County, Utah. Hubert O. Burton, superintendent, Kays- 
ville. — This summer we have a man continuously employed to do 
club work and assist the boys, girls, and j^arents in their homes. 
In this work he holds meetings to demonstrate the best methods of 
preserving fruits and vegetables. Here is one of his announcements: 

There will be a Canning Demonstration 

which the mothers and daughters arc urgently requested to attend, at 

August , at 1 o'clock. 

The principles underlying the successful preservation of vegetables and fruit will 
be demonstrated and explained. If you can, bring a quart bottle, with rubber and 
lid, and something that you would like to see put up. If you bring fruit, bring sugar 
to sweeten; if vegetables, bring a teaspoonful of salt. 

It is important that the girls in the canning club attend. We want 500 pints or 
quarts by the girls for the county and State fairs. There were 68 present at the 
demonstration in Bountiful. Don't miss this opportunity. 
Respectfully, 



Demonstrator. 

Monroe County, N. Y. W. W. Rayjield, district superintendent, 
Webster. — In my home town, through the active support of a local 
canner, I have a tomato contest under way. Pupils must have been 
in school this year and be over 10 and under 18 years of age to enter 
the contest. Each contestant must raise 300 plants and personally 
care for them and deUver the crop. Tomatoes are to be bought at 



50 FEATUEES IN EUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. 

mai'ket price and several prizes ranging from $5 to $50 are to be 
awarded for the best kept and most productive crop raised. A com- 
mittee of three visit the plats and inspect them. 

McCook County, S. DaJc. C. A. Kaech, superintendent, Salem. — 
We have been devoting much time and energy to the organization 
of industrial contests among the boys and girls of the county. In 
1911 we spent $100 for this purpose; m 1912, $214; this year we are 
offering prizes to the amount of $225. In 1911 and in 1912 this money 
w^as appropriated by the board of county commissioners. This year 
it was appropriated by them in accordance with a law passed by the 
legislature of this State. 

Just at present we are erecting a county educational buUdiag on the 
fair grounds at the county seat. The money for this purpose was ob- 
tained from the school boards and from the county commissioners. 

Sioux County, Iowa. F. E. Fuller, superintendent. Orange City. — - 
In Sioux County there are 130 boys enrolled in the 1-acre corn con- 
test, 23 girls in the gardening and canning contest, and 8 boys and 
girls in the poultry contest. To each corn competitor enough Silver 
King seed is given for an acre. The winnei-s in all contests receive 
free trips to the State Agricultural College at Ames. 

Waseca County, Minn. Harry C. Van Loh, superintendent, 
Waseca. — Industrial work is carried on in nearly all of the schools. 
We find this a great incentive to keep the larger boys and girls in 
school. Clubs are organized and at the meetings work pertaining 
to the welfare of the clubs is taken up. A county boys and girls' 
industrial contest is held each year. Work of the boys and girls is 
also exhibited at the State fair. Our mam aim is to get attendance 
and to keep this by making school life interesting. 

Clinton County, Ind. Marion W. Salmon, superintendent, FranJc- 
fort. — Through the cooperation of the teachers of the county we have 
organized a boys' oorn club of 70 members. Each member is culti- 
vating an acre plat of corn under the rules of the National and State 
contests. The bo\^s are interested and enthusiastic. They are 
getting a great deal of first-hand knowledge of soils, plants, and how 
they grow, kinds and need of cultivation, besides the socializing effect 
of their meetings. They are developing interests that will eventually 
anchor them to the farm. 

Pierce County, Wasli. H. R. Cox, superintendent, Tacoma. — In 
addition to the regular scholastic work, we are enlarging upon the 
agricultural and industrial work of the schools of the county upon the 
plan started last year, and are now working with the State organiza- 
tion of the boys' and girls' agricultural and industrial contest. The 
county is now divided into 24 districts for local school fairs for vege- 
tables, flowers, handwork, etc. The schools are gaining in interest 
and enthusiasm along these lines. 



SOCIALIZING THE SCHOOL. 51 

Somerset County, Pa. D. W. Seihert, siqjerintendent, Somerset. — I 
think we secured a helpful school sentiment by means of our work in 
agriculture and household arts which wo organized and encouraged 
through the rural and graded schools. Last year we had nearly 2,000 
exhibits of articles made and grown by some of the 16,000 cliildren 
enrolled in the schools of the county. The contest was held in a large 
assembly room of the courthouse during the county institute for 
teachers. It seemingly added new life and interest to the whole 
public-scliool problem. Many children who perhaps have never been 
recognized or praised for excellence through this means were brought 
to realize that they could do thmgs worth while. 

Pulas'ki County, Ind. H. L. Rogers, Winamac. — ^We have had a 
boys' corn club for four years, and the results are astonishing. In the 
four years over 1,000 boys have taken up the work; 65 different boys 
have been given a free trip to Purdue University for one week durmg 
the short course, and 36 boys have been taken to Chicago to the 
stock show. Other prizes have been offered also. A class of boys 
will be taken to Purdue again this year, and one boy will be sent to 
Washington, D. C. A poultry club was organized this spring. 

Mercer County, Pa. H. E. McConnell, superintendent, Mercer. — • 
This year we have 144 boys raising corn. We liave nine high-school 
corn clubs, with an enrollment of 57 boys and 2 girls; each contestant 
is to raise 1 acre of corn. Then we have 85 boys working a quarter 
acre. Prizes are given in each contest. This work was started by 
the county superintendent. Mercer County is fortunate in having a 
county agriculturist who tries to visit the boys once each month and 
to make their work worth while. 

Our girls a,lso have a part. We have 115 girls isi a bread-making 
contest. Much interest is being manifested in both contests. 

Fourth district, Saratoga County, N. Y. Ida M. Smith, superin- 
temlent, Saratoga Springs. — Instead of sending a report of her own 
work as superintendent, Miss Smith sent the following paper, written 
by Miss Florence Booth, teacher of district No. 9, in Greenfield Town- 
ship. The report gives an account of Miss Booth's work at the school 
of which she is principal: 

Improvement of School Building and Grounds. 
success due to cooperation op parents and teacher. 

It seems to be a poi^ular idea among parents, especially in rural districts, that 
anything is good enough for a schoolhouse. They say that a child does not notice its 
surroundings and has no thought if its school en\ironment. This, however, is a 
mistaken idea, and I feel that I have so proved it to the community where I am located. 

When school opened for the fall term in 1912 the building and grounds wore in fair 
condition, as far as repairs are concerned, but the interior was a most uninviting place. 
The walls, which were rough and newly patched, were calcimined a dingy rose color, 



52 FEATUEES IN EUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. 

with a dull brick-red border. The ceiling was a pale blue and thickly coated with 
smoke, while the woodwork was a neutral stone color. The window shades were a 
yellowish green, full of cracks, thus letting the sun pour into the room all day. One 
of the blackboards was made of three wide boards painted black; the other was merely 
a space on the front wall wliich had been given a coat of black i^aint. The furniture 
was in fair condition, except that the desks were both double and single. A good box 
stove furnished heat, and there was a fine bookcase and teacher's desk. 

During the first week of school I talked with the pupils about what we could do to 
beautify our schoolhouse, and then I began to make my plans. The first was to 
organize a "sunsliine club." Membership m tlais club was a reward of merit. The 
pupils were required to come to school with nails clean, teeth brushed, and hair neatly 
combed. The object of the club was to promote a love for nature and the beautiful, 
to make school hours pleasant and happy, and to lead to a desire for better surround- 
ings. The meetings were held each Friday afternoon, i)roviding the week had been a 
successful one; otherwise classes were held as usual. These afternoons were 
devoted entirely to music, stories, poems, drawing, sewing, and handiwork. The 
work done at the club was with the idea in view of future decorations. The first 
addition, one made by the district, was a fine slate blackboard, a long shelf for plants 
and a shorter one in the entry for water pail and washbasin. 

"WTien the club was well under way I began making calls among the inhabitants of 
the district and visited every family and home. I thus became acquainted with the 
home conditions, and in this fact, I am sure, lies the secret of a teacher's success. 
There must be a friendly spirit between parents and the teacher and a spirit of cooper- 
ation, if a school is to be successful, 

I next started the plan of holding sociables to raise money to redecorate the walls. 
These have been a complete success, and were held at the various homes of the 
parents. 

The choice of wall paper fell upon a sun-proof green, with vertical lines of white. 
The ceiling, which is carried down 18 inches on the side walls, is white, with a stone- 
colored design. This drop was finished with a green and gilt band. Thus decorated, 
the room has a very light appearance. When the question of hanging the paper came 
up, the trustee and I decided to do the work and thus save the expense of hiring. 

After this was done the school decided to have another social and raise money to 
purchase new shades. These were chosen to carry out the color scheme and dark 
green ones were bought. I then hung sash curtains and the room looked, as one man 
expressed it, "like a little parlor," and all at an expense of less than |12 beside our 
work. 

The next thing to be done was to clean up the grounds. By working together 
noons we piled the wood neatly, raked the lawn, and burnt the brush and refuse. 
We finished by planting three trees and some shrubs on Arbor Day. We had a great 
deal of pleasure doing the outdoor work, and the cliildren felt that they were really 
doing something. 

After these things were taken care of we began to plan for a covered water tank to 
take the place of the uncovered pail. This tank was supplied by the district, and 
each child obtained a cup for himself. The tank was placed in the entry, upon the 
shelf mentioned before. Near-by I hung a small mirror and a comb case, with comb 
attached. With the addition of a basin and soap dish, the corner has been complete, 
except for sanitary towels, which we hope to have in the near future. 

We then took the handiwork made at our meetings of the club, such as chains, 
Japanese lanterns, calendars, etc., and hung them at intervals across the room, the 
calendars making good decorations for the walls, together with the pictures which I 
supplied . 

The last thing we did this spring was to go to the w^oods for ferns which make fine 
plants for school, and can be obtained easily in any rural district. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 63 

We have often invited the mothers to come to school, and they come, sometimes 
half a dozen at a time. These parents, with the exception of two families, are German 
farmers, many of whom speak very broken English. I was fortunate enough to speak 
German, imperfectly, to be sure, but enough to talk with them. We have become 
good friends, for I also lend them books in their mother tongue and teach their chil- 
dren the German songs, which are very dear to them. They have helped willingly 
in every way they could afford and best of all is that it is "our schoolhouse," because 
all have helped to make it what it is now. The children are happy and contented, 
and show their appreciation by bringing many flowers and plants to school. 

All this has not been brought about without opposition and many discouragements, 
but if a teacher with a real desire to better conditions goes along smilingly, a little at 
a time, she can work wonders. We now have a building that we are proud of, and it 
is due to the spirit of friendliness and cooperation between the teacher, pupils, par- 
ents, officers, and the entire community. 

A little leadership is all that is necessary to accomplish what we have done, and 
every teacher is capable of being a leader. In all communities the teacher, if sha 
does her duty, is respected and looked up to, and I am sure that with a little of the 
right spirit on her part the succe.ss Avhich we have had will come to her and her school. 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 

Myra L. Ingalshe, Hartford, N. Y., district superintendent in Wasli- 
ington County, reports that school children under her supervision very 
much cnjo3^ed correspondence with school children of more than 20 
foreign countries. The plan of their letter exchange work is as fol- 
lows: 

1. Pupils select country and town or city with which they wish to 
open correspondence. 

2. Letters written, pictures and souvenirs inclosed. 

3. Teacher writes a letter to the teacher of the foreign town or city 
to which the letters of pupils are to be sent. 

4. Wrap the above letter securely in a parcel and address the same 
as follows: 

To any English-speaking teacher, 



5. Teacher writes a second letter addressed to the postmaster of 
the chosen town or city. Said letter contains a request that the 
inclosed parcel of letters be handed to any English-speaking teacher 
in the given town or city. This letter is placed upon the aforesaid 
parcel and the increased parcel again securely wrapped and addressed 

to 

Postmaster, 



C. ^¥. Tillihridge , Smethporf, Pa., superintendent of McKeetn County, 
has been publishing for the past eight years a school paper. There 
are four numbers per year and all teachers and school directors 
receive free copies. The subscription price to pupils is 10 cents per 
year. The subscription list exceeded 1,200 last year. 



54 FEATURES IN KUEAL SCHOOL IMPEOVEMENT. 

In Douglas County, Colo., during the year 1912-13 the schools con- 
ducted successfully a "herd record contest in dairy work." 

In Laurens County, Ga., several schools are cultivating 1-acre fields 
of corn. The cliildren in each school cultivate their acre in common, 
according to the best instructions for corn gromng in Georgia. The 
purpose is to teach proper methods of corn cultivation, and the profits 
from the sale of the corn will be expended by teachers and pupils for 
needed school improvements. 

In Northampton County, Va., 1,200 people belong to the school 
improvement leagues of the several schools. In 1912-13 the leagues 
raised more than $6,000. 

Sumner County, Tenn., conducted 30 night schools for adults in 
the fall of 1912. In these schools 300 illiterates were taught to read 
and write. Of this number, some were 75 years old. 

Henry and Twiggs Counties, Ga., have begun a system of volunteer 
medical inspection of school children. 

C. I. Kingshury, Mexico, N. Y., superintendent of the fourth dis- 
trict of Oswego County, last year completed arrangements for free 
operations on the school children of his district for adenoids and 
tonsils. 

In Prairie View, ArTc., the principal of the public school induced the 
pupils and patrons of the school to rent 12 acres of ground and grow 
cotton on it for the benefit of the school. The venture was successful, 
as more than $200 was cleared for school improvements. 

Brown County, Tex., recently held a successful clean-up contest. 
The superintendent reports that 40 of the 65 schools of the county 
entered the contest and that thousands of dollars' worth of work that 
had been needed for many years was done. A permanent organiza- 
tion, '^The Brown County school betterment league," was one of the 
results of the contest. 

In Snohomish County, Wash.,, some of the topics studied and dis- 
cussed last year by the principals' club were the new education, 
centralization of the rural schools, medical inspection in the public 
schools, sex hygiene, and the juvenile court. 

In Williamshurg County, S. C, one of the schools gives three periods 
a week to theoretical and practical dairy work. Two cows, one of 
the ordinary type and one of the best type, are kept in the school 
barn. A comparison of records of the two cows is made monthly 
for the benefit of the pupils. The dairy produce is sold at market 
value. 

Supt. C. M. Danuser, of Gasconade County, Mo., in his annual 
report, records the experience of all of the 77 teachers in the county. 
The record shows each teacher's grade of certificate, years of service, 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 55 

and salary for each year. Such a report makes known the names of 
those teachers who move every year with possibly no increase in 
salary. 

BerlxS County, Pa., has a county teachers' veteran association com- 
posed of the active teachers of the county who have been in the service 
25 years or longer. There are 56 members, 46 men and 10 women. 
The president of the association is John G. Dengler, who has taught 
52 years, 40 years in one school. The association holds an annual 
meeting at the time of the county institute. 

In Haskell County, Tex., the superintendent publishes a school 
paper called the Haskell County School News. 

In Harrison County, Ind., the course of study for the high schools 
emphasizes forestry and tree planting. Before any pupil shall be 
issued a grade in botany he must have complied with the following: 

Each individual pupil shall plant a tree upon the school yard or other public grounds, 
by the roadside or in some place where the tree may be of public benefit. The tree 
may be a shade tree, forest tree, or fruit tree, but it must be furnished with some pro- 
tection and carefully and scientifically chosen and transplanted. 

After the tree is planted each pupil is required to direct a letter to the coimty super- 
intendent of schools describing his tree and place of planting, giving reasons for 
selecting the particular tree and place, and telling what i^rotection the transplanted 
tree has been given . 

It is the purpose of this requirement to have a thrifty, growing tree of public benefit 
to the people of the county for every boy and girl who passes through the high schools 
of the coimty. 

In Danville, Ga., as an adjunct to the corn-club movement, the 
school girls organized a cotton club for the purpose of promoting the 
study of the cotton plant, improving its type, increasing its yield, 
and bringing about more pleasant social relations among girls that 
live and work on the farm. 

Island County, Wash., has tried the teachers' cottage and found it 
helpful in retaining good teachers and in developing the communit}'- 
center idea. 

The superintendent of this county also reports that the placing of 
talking machmes in many rural schools has brought much happiness 
to little people isolated from go^d music. 

In Montgomery County, N. Y., one of the granges, desiring that the 
local teacher better equip herself for teaching agriculture and domestic 
science, voted an appropriation toward the expenses of the teacher 
in taking a summer course in agriculture and household arts in 
Cornell University. 

In Oconto County, Wis., during 1912-13, 50 schools used Babcock 
milk testers from one to four months each; 33 schools owned the 
testers, while 17 used borrowed ones; 30 of the schools kept milk 
sheets for 153 cows. 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. 

(Note. — With the exceptions indicated, tlio documents named below will be sent free of charge upon 
application to the Commissioner of Education, Washington, T>. C. Those marked witli an asterisk (*) 
are no longer available for free distribution, but may be had of the Superintendent of Documents, Govern- 
ment Printing Office, Washington, T>. C, upon payment of the price stated. Remittances should be made 
in coin, currency, or money order. Stamps are not accepted. Documents marked wth a dagger (t) ara 
out of print.] 

1906. 

fNo. 1. Education bill ofl906 for EnglandandWalesasitpassedtheHouscofCommons. AnnaT.Smilh. 
*No. 2. German ^^cws of American education, wth particular reference to industrial development, 

William N. Ilailmarm. 10 cts. 
*No. 3. State school systems: Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 1904, 

to Oct. 1, 1906. Edward C. ElUott. 15 cts. 

1907. 

tNo. 1. The continuation school in the United States. Arthur J. Jones. 

♦No. 2. Agricultural education, including nature study and school gardens. James R. Jewell. 15 cts. 

fNo. 3. The auxihary schools of Germany. Six lectures by B. Maennol. 

fNo. -1. The elimination of pupils from school. Edward L. Thorndike. 

1908. 

tNo. 1. On the training of persons to teach agriculture in the public schools. Liberty II. Bailey. 

*N©. 2. List of pubUcations of the United States Bureau of Education, 1867-1907. 10 cts. 

*No. 3. BibUography of education for 1907. James IngersoU Wyer, jr., and Martha L. Phelps. 10 cts. 

fNo. 4. Music education ia the United States; schools and departments of music. Arthur L. Manchester. 

*No. 5. Education in Formosa. Julean H. Arnold. 10 cts. 

*No. 6. The apprenticeship system in its relation to industrial education. Carroll D. Wright. 15 cts. 

*No. 7. State school systems: II. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 

1906, to Oct. 1, 1908. Edward C. Elliott. 30 cts. 
tNo. 8. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the 

State, 1907-8. 

1909. 

*No. 1. Facilities for study and research in the offices of the United States Government in Washington. 

Arthur T. Hadley. 10 cts. 
No. 2. Admission of Chinese students to American colleges. John Fryer. 
*No. 3. Daily meals of school cliildren. Caroline L. Hunt. 10 cts. 

tNo. 4. The teaching staff of secondary schools in the United States; amount of education, length of expe- 
rience, salaries. Edward L. Thorndike. 
No. 5. Statistics of public, society, and school hbraries in 1908. 
*No. 6. Instruction in the fine and manual arts in the United States. A statistical monograph, Henry 

T. Bailey. 15 cts. 
No. 7. Index to the Reports of the Commissioner of Education, 1867-1907. 
*No. 8. A teacher's profes.sional Kbrary. Classified list of 100 titles. 5 cts. 
*No. 9. Bibliography of education for 1903-9. 10 cts. 
No. 10. Education for efficiency in railroad service. J. Shirley Eaton. 

*No. 11. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by 
the State, 1908-9. 5 cts. 

1910. 

tNo. 1. The movement for reform in the teaching of religion in the public schools of Saxony. Arley B. 

Show. 
No. 2. State school systems: III. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to public education, Oct. 1, 

1908, to Oct. 1, 1909. Edward C. ElUott. 
tNo. 3. List of pubUcations of the United States Bureau of Education, 1807-1910. 
*No. 4. The biological stations of Europe. Charles A. Kofoid. 50 cts. 
*No. 5. American schoolhouscs. Fletcher B. Dresslar. 75 cts. 
fNo. 0. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by 

the State, 1909-10. 

I 



TI BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. 

1911. 

*No. 1. Bi])liography of science teaching. Sets. 

*No. 2. Opportunities for graduate study in agriculture in the United States. A. C. Monahan. Sets. 

*No. 3. Agencies for the improvement of teachers in service. William C. Ruediger. 15 cts. 

*No. 4. Report of the commission appointed to study the system of education in the public schools of 

Baltimore. 10 cts. 
*No. 5. Age and grade census of schools and colleges. George D. Strayer. 10 cts. 
fNo. 6. Graduate work in mathematics in universities and in other institutions of like grade in the United 

States. 
*No. 7. Undergraduate work in mathematics in colleges and universities. 5 cts. 
*No. 8. Examinations in mathematics, other than those set by the teacher for his own classes. 5 cts. 

No. 9. Mathematics in the technological schools of collegiate grade in the United States. 
tNo. 10. Bibliography of education for 1909-10. 
tNo. 11. Bibliography of child study for the years 1908-9. 

•*No. 12. Training of teachers of elementary and secondary mathematics. 5 cts. 
*No. 13. Mathematics in the elementary schools of the United States. 15 cts. 
*No. 11. Provision for exceptional children in the public schools. J. H. Van Sickle, Lightner Wltmer, 

and Leonard P. Ayres. 10 cts. 
*No. 15. Educational system of China as recently reconstructed. Harry E. King. 15 cts. 
*No. 16. Mathematics in the public and private secondary schools of the United States. 15 cts. 
fNo. 17. List of publications of the United States Bureau of Education, October, 1911. 
*No. 18. Teachers 'certificates issued under general State laws and regulations. Harlan UpdegraS. 20 cts. 
No. 19. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by 
the State, 1910-11. 

1912. 

*No. 1. A course of study for the preparation of rural-school teachers. Fred Mutchler and W.J. Craig. 5 cts. 
*No. 2. Mathematics at West Point and Annapolis. 5 cts. 
*No. 3. Report of committee on imiform records and reports. 5 cts. 
■*No. 4. Mathematics in technical secondary schools in the United States. 5 cts. 
■*No. 5. A study of expenses of city school systems. Harlan Updegraff. 10 cts. 
*No. 6. Agricultural education in secondary schools. 10 cts. 
*No. 7. Educational status of nursing. M. Adelaide Nutting. 10 cts. 
*No. 8. Peace day. Fannie Fern Andrews. [ Later publication, 1913, No. 12.] Sets. 
*No. 9. Country schools for city boys. William S. Myers. 10 cts. 
*No. 10. Bibliography of education in agriculture and home economics. 10 cts. 
fNo. 11. Current educational topics. No. I. 

tNo. 12. Dutch schools of New Netherland and colonial New York. William H. Kilpatrlck. 
*No. 13. Lifluences tending to improve the work of the teacher of mathematics. 5 cts. 
*No. 14. Report of the American commissioners of the international commission on the teaching of mathe- 
matics. 10 cts. 
tNo. 15. Current educational topics. No. II. 

*No. 16. The reorganized school playground. Henry S. Curtis. 5 cts. 
"•■No. 17. The Montessorisystem^of education. AnnaT. Smiih. 5 cts. 

*No. 18. Teaching language through agriculture and domestic science. M. A. Leiper. Sets. 
*No. 19. Professional distribution of college and university graduates. Bailey B. Burritt. 10 cts. 
*No. 20. Readjustment of a rural high school to the needs of the community. H. A. Brown. 10 cts. 
*No. 21. Urban and rural common-school statistics. Harlan Updegraff and William R. Hood. Sets. 

No. 22. Public and private high schools. 

No. 23. Special collections in libraries in the United States. W. Dawson Johnston and Isadore G. Mudge. 
*No. 24. Current educational topics, No. III. 5 cts. 

tNo. 25. List of publications of the United States Bureau of Education, 1912. 
tNo. 26. Bibliography of child study for the years 1910-1911. 

No. 27. History of public-school education in Arkansas. Stephen B. Weeks. 
*No. 28. Cultivating school grounds in Wake County, N. C. Zebulon Judd. 5 cts. 

No. 29. Bibliography of the teaching of mathematics, 1000-1912. David Eugene Smith and Charlea 
Goldziher. 

No. 30. Latin-American universities and special schools. Edgar E. Brandon. 

No. 31. Educational directory, 1912. 

No. 32. Bibliography of exceptional children and their education. Arthur MacDonald. 
tNo. 33. Statistics of State universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by 
the State, 1912. 

1913. 

No. 1. Monthly record of current educational publications, January, 1913. 
*No. 2. Training courses for rural teachers. A. C. M jnahan and R . TL. Wright. 5 cts. 
*No. 3. The teaching of modern languages in the United States. Charles H. Handschin. 15 eta. 
*No. 4. Present standards of higher education in the United States. George E. MacLean. 20 cts. 
*No. 5. Monthly record of current educational publications. February, 1913. 5 cts. 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. Ill 

♦No. 6. Agricultural instruction in high schools. C. H. Robison and F. B. Jenks. 10 cts. 
*No. 7. College entrance requirements. Clarence D. Kingsley. 15 cts. 
♦No. 8. Thestatusofruraleducationin the United States. A.C. Monahan. 15 cts. 
♦No. 9. Consular reports on continuation schools in Prussia. 5 cts. 
♦No. 10. Monthly record of current educational publications, March, 1913. 5 cts. 
*No. 11. Monthly record of current educational publications, AprU, 1913. 5 cts. 
♦No. 12. The promotion of peace. Fannie Fern Andrews. 10 cts. 

♦No. 13. Standards and tests for measuriii;; the efficiency of schools or systems of schools. Report of the 
committee of the National Council of Education. George D. Strayer, chairman. 5 cts. 

No. 14. Agricultural instruction in secondary schools. 

♦No. 15. Monthly record of current educational publications. May, 1913. 5 cts. 
♦No. 16. Bibliography of medical inspection and health supervision. 15 cts. 
♦No. 17. A trade school for girls. A preliminary investigation in a typical manufacturing city, Worcester, 

Mass. 10 cts. 
*No. IS. The fifteenth international congress on hygiene and demography. Fletcher B. Dresslar. 10 cts. 
*No. 19. German industrial education and its lessons for the United States. Holmes Beckwith. 15 cts. 
tNo. 20. Illiteracy in the United States. 

fNo. 21. Monthly record of current educational publications, June, 1913. 
♦No. 22. Bibliography of industrial, vocational, and trade education. 10 cts. 
♦No. 23. The Georgia Club at the State Normal School, Athens, Ga., for the study of niral sociology. 

E. C. Branson. 10 cts. 
♦No. 21. A comparison of public education in Germany and in the United States. Georg Kerschensteiner. 

5 cts. , 
♦No. 25. Industrial education in Columbus, Oa. Roland B. Daniel. 5 cts. 
♦No. 26. Good roads arbor day. Susan B.Sipe. 10 cts. 
♦No. 27. Prison schools. A. C. Hill. 10 cts. 

♦No. 2S. Expressions on education by American statesmen and publicists. 5 cts. 
♦No. 29. Accredited secondary schools in the United States. Kendric C. Babcock. 10 cts. 
♦No. 30. Education in the South. 10 cts. 
♦No. 31. Special features in city school systems. 10 cts. 

No. 32. Educational survey of Montgomery County, Md. 
fNo. 33. Monthly record of current educational publications, September, 1913. 
♦No. 34. Pension systems in Great Britain. Raymond W. Sies. 10 cts. 
♦No. 35. A list of books suited to a high-school library. 15 cts. 
♦No. 36. Report on the work of the Bureau of Education for the natives of Alaska, 1911-12. 10 cts. 

No. 37. Monthly record of current educational publications, October, 1913. 
tNo. 38. Economy of time in education. 

No. 39. Elementary industrial school of Cleveland, Ohio. W. N. Hailmann. 
♦No. 40. The reorganized school playground. Henry S. Cvurtis. 10 cts. 

No. 41. The reorganization of secondary education. 

No. 42. An experimental rural school at Winthrop College. II. S. Browne. 
♦No. 43. Agriculture and rural-life day; material for its observance. Eugene C. Brooks. 10 Cts. 
♦No. 44. Organized health work in schools. E.B.Hoag. 10 cts. 

No. 45. Monthly record of current educational publications, November, 1913. 
♦No. 46. Educational directory, 1913. 15 cts. 

♦No. 47. Teaching material in Government publications. F. K. Noyes. 10 cts. 
♦No. 48. School hygiene. " W. Carson Ryan, jr. 15 cts. 

No. 49. The Farragut School, a Tennessee country-life high school. A. C. Monahan and Adams Phillips. 

No. 50. The Fitchburg plan of cooperative industrial education. M. R. McCann. 
tNo. 51. Education of the immigrant. 
♦No. 52. Sanitary schoolhouses. Legal requirements in Indiana and Ohio. 5 cts. 

No. 53. Monthly record of ciurent educational publications, December, 1913. 

No. 54. Consular reports on industrial education in Germany. 

No. 55. Legislation and judicial decisions relating to education, October 1, 1909, to October 1, 1912, 

James C. Boykin and William R. Ilood. 
♦No. 56. Some suggestive features of the Swiss school system. William Knox Tate. 25 cts. 

No. 57. Elementary education in England, with special reference to London, Liverpool, and Manchester. 
I. L. Kandel. 

No. 58. Educational system of rural Denmark. Harold W. Foght. 

No. 59. Bibliography of education for 1910-11. 

No. 60. Statistics of State imiversities and other institutions of higher education partially supported 

by the State, 1912-13. 

1914. 

♦No. 1. Monthly record of current educational publications, January, 1914. 5 cts. 
No. 2. Compulsory school attendance. 

No. 3. Monthly record of current educational publications, February, 1914. 
No. 4. The school and the^tart in life. Meyer Bloomfleld. 



IV BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION. 

No. 5. The folk high schools of Denmark. L. L. Friend. 

No. 6. Kindergartens in the United States. 

No. 7. Monthly record of current educational publications, March, 1914. 

No. 8. The Massachusetts home-project plan of vocational agricultural education. K. W. Stirr.son. 

No. 9. Monthly record of current educational publications, April, 1914. 

No. 10. Physical growth and school progress. B. T. Baldwin. 

No. 11. Monthly record of current educational publications. May, 1914. 

No. 12. Rural schoolhouses and grounds. F. B. Dresslar. 

No. 13. Present status of drawing and art in the elementary and secondary schools of the United States. 

Royal B. Farnum. 
No. 14. Vocational guidance. 

No. 1.5. Monthly record of current educational publications. Index. 
No. 16. The tangible rewards of teaching. James C. Boykin and Roberta King. 
No. 17. Sanitary survey of the schools of Orange County, Va. R. K. Flannagan. 
No. 18. The public school system of Gary, Ind. William. P. Burris. 
No. 19. University extension in the United States. Louis E. Reber. 
No. 20. The rural school and hookworm disease. J. A. Ferrell. 
No. 21. Monthly record of current educational publications, September, 1914. 
No. 22. The Danish folk high schools. II. W. Foght. 
No. 23. Some trade schools in Europe. Frank' L. Glynn. 
No. 24. Danish elementary rmal schools. II. W. Foght. 



o 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



022 158 734 • 



